LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Your home heating bill may be on the rise in 2025.
The amount due on your monthly gas bill could go up, depending on how much natural gas you’re using.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office, the rate hike, if approved, would increase your gas bill by 12%.
Just five months ago, the utility company was authorized to increase gas rates by $35 million. More than 1.8 million Michigan homes and businesses could be impacted due to using natural gas.
“Those who don’t use a lot of natural gas or don’t have natural gas appliances are not going to see that big of a difference.”
Consumer’s Energy spokesperson, Tracy Wimmer said, the utility company is asking for another rate increase after being approved for one back in July.
“It has to do with the upgrades that we do every single time. It’s not necessarily about the previous one being enough.”
Wimmer said the money will be used to upgrade the state’s natural gas system.
That includes up to 10,000 new service pipes and more modern facilities to help reduce the risk of gas leaks.
According to the AG’s Office, “Attorney General Nessel intends to intervene in this rate case as she does in all utility rate increase requests before the MPSC.”
Her office goes on to say, “In Consumers Energy’s previous gas rate case this year, Attorney General Nessel, through this intervention, helped to reduce the company’s natural gas rate hike by nearly 75%.”
In a statement sent to News 10, Nessel said:
“Consumers Energy is seeking to hike gas rates yet again, only five months after their last rate hike was approved by the MPSC.
My office will carefully review this request to ensure Consumers Energy is not once again attempting to fatten their rate hike by including expenses they cannot justify to the MPSC, like they did last time when we worked to slash their rate hike by 75%.
We will continue to work to hold the utilities accountable and keep unjustified costs off ratepayers’ bills.”
The Attorney General has saved Michigan consumers over $3.4 billion by intervening in utility cases before the MPSC. Consumers Energy sells electricity to approximately 1.9 million customers throughout Michigan and natural gas to 1.8 million customers across the state.
The rate increase could require residents to dish out more money at a time when many are already feeling a financial pinch.
However, Wimmer said the rate hike that Consumer’s Energy is seeking could decrease before it’s approved.
“This is just the first step in a very long process that involves us talking with all kinds of stakeholders, including those who are advocating for customers who might be struggling financially.”
The utility company has already upgraded hundreds of miles of the transmission pipeline that carries natural gas across the state, but said more upgrades are still needed.
Consumer’s Energy will also be installing control valves in its transmission system. It will help quickly isolate the system when unexpected conditions happen.
That work is expected to be completed in 2030.
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