DTE Rate Increase 2027: $22 a Month at 1,000 kWh Asked

DTE Electric is asking Michigan regulators for about $474.3 million a year in new base electric revenue. Its application estimates a residential summer bill would rise $22.13 a month at 1,000 kWh, or $11.06 at 500 kWh, if the full request were approved. The request (MPSC case U-22046) was filed April 28, 2026, and has not been decided. Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) staff has recommended about half the amount, and the state Attorney General has recommended much less.

DTE filed this request about two months after the MPSC approved a $242.4 million increase in February in an earlier case. For how both DTE and Consumers Energy rates have moved this year, and how Michigan credits rooftop solar, see our guide to Michigan electric rate changes in 2026.

What DTE Is Asking For

DTE’s application, filed with the MPSC on April 28, 2026, asks for “additional annual base electric revenues in the amount of approximately $474.3 million.” The key numbers:

The bill figures are DTE’s own estimates for summer bills on Rate D1.11, assuming about 15% of use is on-peak, as the filing states; DTE’s public notice describes the 500 kWh figure as an increase of “up to” $11.06. Winter bills and different on-peak shares would give different numbers.

DTE said in April the money would support converting its Belle River Power Plant from coal to natural gas and developing the Trenton Channel Energy Center, according to CBS News Detroit. The Michigan Attorney General noted the filing came “just two months after the utility received approval for a $242.4 million increase.”

What Staff, the Attorney General and CUB Recommend

Other parties in a Michigan rate case file testimony proposing their own numbers. Three have done so here:

• MPSC staff: In Aug. 26 testimony, staff recommended “a $239.1 million rate increase for DTE Electric Co.,” about half of the request, and keeping DTE’s return on equity at 9.90%, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Staff is a party to the case; its recommendation is not the commission’s decision.
• Michigan Attorney General: Dana Nessel said on Aug. 28 that DTE should “increase rates by no more than $134.5 million,” which would “slash the utility’s proposed hike by 71%,” and that this would cut “DTE’s requested 10% residential rate hike to 2%.”
• Citizens Utility Board of Michigan (CUB): In a Nov. 6 post on its testimony, the consumer group said its witness proposed a 9.17% return on equity, which he estimates would save customers about $122 million a year compared with DTE’s 10.25%. CUB’s witnesses also recommended a labor-cost offset that it says would save customers more than $21 million a year.

By our arithmetic, staff’s figure is about 50% of DTE’s request ($239.1M ÷ $474.3M) and the Attorney General’s is about 28% ($134.5M ÷ $474.3M). The residential share of any final increase depends on how the MPSC allocates it among customer classes, so these totals cannot be turned into a household dollar figure.

When Will the MPSC Decide?

Michigan rate cases run on a review of about 10 months from filing, according to Axios Detroit, and DTE asked for new rates as early as March 1, 2027. CUB says an administrative law judge’s proposal for decision is scheduled for Dec. 21. That proposal is a recommendation; the commission issues the final order afterward.

The MPSC’s most recent DTE electric decision shows how much a request can shrink: on Feb. 19, 2026 it approved about $242.4 million of roughly $574 million DTE had requested, according to the Michigan Attorney General.

DTE’s Pledge to Pause Rate Requests

When DTE announced the filing in April, CEO Joi Harris said “we will refrain from filing another rate request until at least 2028,” according to CBS News Detroit, on the condition that “the first data center project we’re supporting comes online as planned by the end of 2027.” DTE also said it needs other regulatory approvals. CBS reported that the $474.3 million request does not include costs tied to DTE’s data center contracts.

That is a conditional statement about future filings, not a freeze. Rates can still change between rate cases through separate charges, such as the power supply cost recovery factor.

What It Means for Your Bill and Solar

If you are a DTE customer: nothing changes on your bill until the MPSC rules. Check your bill for your actual monthly kWh. At 1,000 kWh in summer, DTE’s own estimate for the full request is $22.13 a month. The final number would be lower if the MPSC lands anywhere near the staff or Attorney General recommendations, but that is not certain.

If you have or are considering rooftop solar: under Michigan’s distributed generation program, DTE credits power you send to the grid based on the power supply part of the rate, not the distribution part, as our Michigan guide explains. A rate case that raises distribution charges increases the value of solar power you use in your home as it is produced, but does less for exported power. This request also includes generation projects, which could raise the power supply part of the rate that sets export credits; the final order will show how the increase is split. Sizing a system to match daytime use, or adding a battery, matters more as that gap widens. Our solar payback guide shows how to run the numbers with your own rate and export credit.

For the other big Michigan utility’s pending case, see our article on the Consumers Energy rate increase request for 2027.

Sources and verification

Limitations

We did not read MPSC staff’s testimony directly; the staff figures come from S&P Global’s report on it. DTE’s bill estimates cover summer bills on Rate D1.11 only. The MPSC has not set a decision date in the sources we found, and the final increase, its split among customer classes and any change to DTE’s fixed monthly charge will be set by the commission’s order.