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Electric Rates In The State Are Rising At Double-Digit Rates.


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No jobs, unemployment stopped, yeah...its rainbows and unicorns in Michigan since the GOP took over in January.

 

Republicans..WHERE ARE THE JOBS THE BUSH TAX CUTS FOR past TEN YEARS NOW WERE SUPPOSED TO CREATE

 

Trillions of dollars in tax revenues stolen from the American people..

 

Coalition warns DTE, Consumers customers of ever-increasing electricity costs

 

By JERRY WOLFFE

Of The Oakland Press

 

A group of businesses, associations and power suppliers who want to compete for electricity customers in Michigan says electric rates in the state are rising at double-digit rates.

 

Spokesman David Waymire of Customer Choice Coalition of Lansing said rates are “spiraling out of control and damaging Michigan’s job climate.”

 

Since January, rates for Detroit Edison residential customers have increased from $14.25 a kiloWatthour to $15.75, or 10.5 percent for those who use an average 250 kWh, according to a chart from the Michigan Public Service Commission of costs for regulated electric utilities in Michigan.

 

Consumers Power Co. customers have seen their rates jump from $14.41 in January to $14.66 as of Aug. 1, or a 1.7 percent increase for 250 kWh units of power.

 

By contrast, industrial rates for Detroit Edison customers are $8.63 as of Aug. 1 for up to 432,000 kWh from $8.11 in January, a 6.4 percent jump, the chart shows.

 

DTE, headquartered in downtown Detroit, did not return a telephone call Friday for comment.

 

The coalition is pressing to lower electricity costs by ending the power monopoly by Detroit Edison, Consumers Power Co. and the Indiana Michigan Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power Co., in providing electricity to Michigan’s residents in the Lower Peninsula.

 

The three utilities have split the Lower Peninsula into three sections with DTE providing electricity to 2.1 million customers in southeastern Michigan and into the Thumb, Consumers the majority of the rest of the peninsula, and Indiana Michigan to the southwestern corner.

 

Utilities have to apply for rate hikes to the three-member MPSC but if the panel doesn’t act within six months, the utility can self-implement the higher rate.

 

On April 1, 2011, Detroit Edison proposed to self-implement a rate increase of $230 million on April 28 as allowed by Public Act 286. Rates increased an average of $2 a month in May.

 

Public 286 was signed into law Oct. 6, 2008 by former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, guaranteeing DTE and Consumers Energy 90 percent of the state’s power business.

 

The law also required that the two utility giants agree that 10 percent of the energy portfolio of each will come from renewable sources — mostly wind generation — by 2015.

 

Residential electric customers of Consumers Energy are paying $7.75 a month more as of this month under a rate increase by the Jackson-based utility. Utility spokesman Jeff Holyfield said the rate change is partly because of $1 billion it has invested to maintain and improve services to customers, as well as elimination of a subsidy to residential users.

 

Consumers, which has 6 million customers in 68 counties in the Lower Peninsula, can implement the increase without approval for up to six months. However, the MPSC can retroactively deny the increase and require Consumers to pay back to customers the difference, plus interest.

 

Waymire said the electricity rate hikes are an additional burden on businesses and strapped consumers and “far exceed” the inflationary rate.

 

Before Granholm signed the 2008 legislation, DTE raised rates for customers using 500 kWh/month by about 3 percent a year from 2000 to 2008, or a total of 23.3 percent, Waymire said.

 

From 2008 until 2011, after lawmakers restricted competition, DTE has raised residential rates by 10 percent annually, or a combined 29.9 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.

 

Contact Jerry Wolffe at 248-745-4612 or jerry.wolffe@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @JerryWolffe1 or on Facebook.

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I have definitely noticed huge increases in electric bills over the last few years. Back in 2005 I saw a friend grow with 2 400w lights and an air conditioner and a television running 24/7, lots of fans and air pumps etc... cost him 50 a month. I have 600w of lights and an air conditioner and I sit in the dark all day and my power bill last month was 150. Nice.

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What the "collation" did not mention is who will fix downed lines in a storm? The big companies have the infrastructure and people to do the work the small guys have promises. Look at the smaller rural electric companies, they suck. High prices and bad service........shredder

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Or . . .

 

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Hyenergy Home Wind Turbine Generator 5-Blade 500W Max/12v - Low Wind Model HY-400-5

 

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Yes, these rate increases have nothing to do with the current administrations new prohibitive regulations on cheap sources of electricity such as coal fired electrical plants and fractal drilling, along with carbon tax credits.

 

Besides the huge tax credits for GE for their awsome wind turbine technology, how are those enviromental restrictions workin' out for ya?

 

Lower alleged greenhouse gas emissions or cheap power. Even a Democrat can't have both.

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If you ever have a problem with an electric utility company, you can complain to the state public service commission. They are the state entity charged with protecting us from them, and they set rates for each utilities area based on the costs to operate in that area. The utilities march to their music.......shredder

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consumers has a program i just signed up for they change meter and summer months charge 6 cents non peak hours 7 pm to 11 am, and 13 cents peak hours, and 13 cents from sept to april i think, didnt write prices down. contact marie, 989-791-5645 for secondary rate. guy from the grow sop i deal with told me about it said his bill for first moth on it went from 800.00 to 240.00, and he has top end set up (lots of lights and 2 ac units.happy growing :)

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Nottoolucky do you know the name of this program from consumers? I looked online a week or so ago and did not find anything but that is exactly what I was looking for. I run my lights at night and work afternoons so I do use electric late night very early morning. I wanna look into that

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Nottoolucky do you know the name of this program from consumers? I looked online a week or so ago and did not find anything but that is exactly what I was looking for. I run my lights at night and work afternoons so I do use electric late night very early morning. I wanna look into that

was told residential time of day seondary rate , that number goes directly to lady that was very helpfull explaining everything. I would just call and go from there.

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Yes, these rate increases have nothing to do with the current administrations new prohibitive regulations on cheap sources of electricity such as coal fired electrical plants and fractal drilling, along with carbon tax credits.

 

Besides the huge tax credits for GE for their awsome wind turbine technology, how are those enviromental restrictions workin' out for ya?

 

Lower alleged greenhouse gas emissions or cheap power. Even a Democrat can't have both.

 

How about lower profits and cheaper power? Their profits have been exploding along with their rates. There's a connection.

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