Michigan

DTE Energy Rates in 2026: What Are You Paying and What’s Changing?

Home Energy Guide Utility Bills & Home Efficiency Posted September 28, 2026
Brick craftsman home on a tree-lined Michigan street in autumn with a lake in the distance

What you pay under DTE Energy rates in 2026 depends on your plan, the season and the time of day. The standard plan from DTE Energy (DTE) is a Time of Day plan. Its base energy prices run from 18.44¢ to 24.13¢ per kWh (kilowatt-hour, the unit on your bill). Those base prices don't include the fuel charge, other surcharges, the monthly service charge or taxes. All-in, a typical DTE bill for 500 kWh was $118.49 in April 2026.

The 2026 DTE rate increase has already reached bills. New base rates took effect March 5, 2026, and the fuel charge rose sharply on bills starting in March. A second, larger request is still pending. It won't change bills unless regulators approve it, and a decision is expected in late February 2027. Here's how each piece works and what you can do about it.

DTE Energy Rates 2026: What a Typical Bill Looks Like

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) sets DTE's rates. It also tracks a standard benchmark bill so customers can compare costs over time. For April 2026, a DTE residential customer using 500 kWh paid $118.49, not counting sales tax. That works out to about 23.70¢ per kWh all-in.

In April 2025, the same 500 kWh cost $111.30. That's an increase of about 6.5% in one year. Your own bill will differ based on your usage, your plan and when you use power.

Why DTE's Posted Prices Look Lower Than Your Bill

DTE's plan prices are base energy prices. Your bill adds several more pieces on top of them:

That's why an 18.44¢ base price can end up near the MPSC's 23.70¢ all-in benchmark. When you compare plans, compare the same pieces on each one.

DTE's Standard Plan: Time of Day 3–7 p.m.

DTE's standard residential plan is Time of Day 3–7 p.m., where the price depends on the time of day. Peak hours are 3–7 p.m., Monday through Friday. All other hours are off-peak.

These are base energy prices. They don't include the fuel charge, other surcharges, the service charge or taxes. In summer, peak power costs 5.69¢ more per kWh than off-peak power. That's when running the AC, dryer, oven or EV charger in the late afternoon costs the most.

Example: Moving 10 kWh Out of the Peak

Here's a simple hypothetical. Say your home uses 10 kWh during the summer peak. At 24.13¢, that's about $2.41 in base energy cost. The same 10 kWh after 7 p.m. at 18.44¢ costs about $1.84.

You'd save about 57¢. That's small for one day. But repeat it every summer weekday, and timing starts to matter.

The 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Time of Day Plan

DTE also offers a Time of Day 11 a.m.–7 p.m. plan. Its weekday peak lasts eight hours, but its off-peak price is much lower. Again, these are base prices only:

This plan can work for a household that's away during the day and does most chores after 7 p.m. It can work poorly for someone who's home all afternoon with the AC running.

Overnight Savers: The Biggest Price Spread

The Overnight Savers plan has a super off-peak price of 11.74¢ from 1–7 a.m. every day. It's built for homes that can shift big loads, like EV charging, into those hours. The trade-off is pricier daytime power, especially in summer.

Here's a hypothetical using base prices only. One 30-kWh EV charge costs about $3.52 overnight. The same charge during the summer peak would cost about $10.67. That's a gap of about $7.15 for one session.

Compare Plans Before You Buy Anything

DTE has an online rate comparison tool that runs your own usage through each plan. Use it before you spend money on equipment. Sometimes the cheapest fix is simply a better plan. Two older options, Dynamic Peak Pricing and the D1.9 EV rate, are closed to new customers.

DTE Rate Increase 2026: What Changed on March 5

On February 19, 2026, the MPSC approved a $242.4 million increase for DTE. DTE had asked for $574.1 million, so the MPSC approved nearly 58% less. New rates took effect March 5, 2026.

For a home using 500 kWh a month, the increase is about $4.93 a month, or 4.6%. The approved amount included about $200 million for poles and pole tops, substation work, tree trimming and an Investment Recovery Mechanism. DTE's return on equity (the profit rate regulators allow on its investment) stayed at 9.9%.

DTE says the spending is paying off. In 2025, it reached the national top quartile for restoring power after outages. Time without power fell 60% compared with 2024. DTE calls 2025 its most reliable year in nearly two decades.

The Investment Recovery Surcharge Steps Up Each January

Part of the March increase shows up as its own charge. The Investment Recovery Mechanism surcharge is a per-kWh charge that recovers certain grid investments. These residential steps are already approved:

The steps are small. At 500 kWh a month, the 2027 step adds about 49¢ a month over today's level.

Why the Fuel Charge Jumped in March

The fuel charge was 0.250¢ per kWh on January and February 2026 bills. On bills since March 2026, it's 1.877¢ per kWh. For a home using 500 kWh, that's about $8.14 more a month.

That's a bigger jump than the $4.93 base-rate increase. So if your bill rose this spring, the fuel charge is a big part of the reason. The fuel charge is adjusted over time, so it can move again.

DTE's Pending Rate Request (Case U-22046)

On April 28, 2026, DTE filed a new request for $474.3 million. DTE says the average residential bill would rise $11.06 a month, or 9.96%, if the MPSC approved it in full.

That's a request, not an approved rate. DTE expects a final order in late February 2027, and the filing doesn't change bills until then. DTE points to its 2025 grid work as the reason to keep investing: 29,000 outages prevented, 6,500 miles of trees trimmed, 90 miles of lines rebuilt and more than 7,700 poles replaced.

What the Attorney General Wants

The Michigan Attorney General's office puts DTE's requested residential increase at about 9.7%–10%. In August 28, 2026 testimony, the AG argued DTE should get no more than $134.5 million. That's about a 71% cut, and it would mean roughly a 2% residential increase.

The AG also recommended rules for very large customers, like data centers. Those include a separate rate class for large loads, assigning their costs directly to them, cost tracking and modeling standards. The MPSC will weigh all sides before it decides.

Already on your bill:

The March 5 rate increase and the higher fuel charge. The $474.3 million request is not.

Could DTE Pause Future Rate Requests?

On April 22, 2026, DTE announced it intends not to file another electric rate request until at least 2028. That plan has conditions. Its first data center project must come online as planned by the end of 2027, and DTE must get other regulatory approvals.

It's a stated intention, not a promise. It also doesn't freeze bills. Approved surcharge steps and fuel charge changes can still move what you pay.

Are Data Centers Behind the DTE Rate Increase?

DTE says the pending case includes no data-center costs. It also says data centers will not raise customer rates. Still, data centers are part of the bigger picture.

On December 18, 2025, the MPSC conditionally approved DTE's contracts for a data center of about 1.4 gigawatts in Saline Township. The contract terms include:

Here's what an 80% minimum means. If a data center contracts for 1,000 megawatts but uses only 500, it still pays as if it used 800. The MPSC added its own conditions, too. DTE must absorb costs it can't recover from the data center, and the data center gets cut back first in a grid emergency.

Not everyone thinks that's enough. The Attorney General has appealed the Saline approval to the Michigan Court of Appeals. A second large contract, with Google, is under MPSC review. In August, the MPSC also recommended that lawmakers write into law that data centers pay 100% of their costs, including transmission.

How DTE Solar Credits Work in 2026

Michigan replaced old net metering with inflow/outflow billing. Power you pull from the grid (inflow) is billed at your plan's normal rate. Extra solar you send to the grid earns an outflow credit, which is what DTE pays for that exported power.

On the standard Time of Day 3–7 p.m. plan, outflow credits are lower than retail prices:

Each credit also gets the fuel charge added. But credits can't offset delivery charges or surcharges. So solar pays best when your home uses its own power as it's made. Systems can be sized up to 110% of your prior 12 months of use. The federal 25D tax credit for home solar isn't available for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025.

DTE Rebates That Can Cut Your Usage

Every kWh you don't use is a kWh no rate increase can touch. DTE offers rebates for single-family homes. Funds are limited and first-come, first-served.

Heat pump and mini-split rebates apply only when you replace electric heat. Attic insulation rebates of up to $600 require DTE to be your main heating provider, which mostly means DTE gas customers. A $250 “Do More” bonus applies to insulation installed September 15–December 15, 2026.

Some homes qualify for more. For single-family homes built before 2016 that use electric heat, DTE covers 50% of an assessment, air sealing and insulation, up to $5,000. That means a heat pump or baseboard heat, and the work goes through a participating contractor.

Compare kWh Before You Compare Dollars

Suppose August 2025 used 700 kWh and cost $155. August 2026 used 1,000 kWh and cost $235. It's easy to blame the rate increase. But usage rose about 43%, so the house is a big part of the story.

Now flip it. If usage stayed near 700 kWh but the bill still rose, that points to price. And an aging AC can matter more than any rate case. At about 23.70¢ all-in, 250 wasted kWh a month costs roughly $59. That's far more than the $4.93 March increase.

How to Compare DTE Plans and Rates for Your Home

  1. Find your current plan on your bill.
  2. Compare kWh for the same month year over year.
  3. Check when you use power, especially 3–7 p.m. on weekdays.
  4. Run DTE's rate comparison tool with your own usage.
  5. Diagnose HVAC and insulation, and check rebates before you install.
  6. Evaluate solar using outflow credits, not old net metering.
  7. Evaluate a battery separately for peak shifting and outage backup.
  8. Treat DTE's new request as pending. Don't build savings around an unapproved increase.

The Ashborn Approach

Before recommending anything, Ashborn Partners looks at your DTE rate plan, past kWh and hourly use. We also review approved and pending rate changes, HVAC, insulation, rebates, EV load, solar and battery storage. If an upgrade makes sense, an Ashborn Advisor can connect you with participating providers in your area.

With DTE, your bill depends on how much power you use and when you use it. Diagnose both before you buy anything.

DTE prices shown are base energy prices that do not include the fuel charge (PSCR), other surcharges, the monthly service charge or taxes. DTE’s pending rate request (MPSC case U-22046) has not been approved; the MPSC can approve, change or reject it. Rates and programs can change.

More Michigan Home Energy Guides

See What DTE’s Rates Mean for Your Home

Find My Savings to begin your personalized Ashborn home-energy review. An Advisor can help determine whether your best opportunity is a different rate plan, shifting usage out of 3–7 p.m., more efficient heating and cooling, solar, battery storage, or a combination.

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Prices and filings can change. Pending requests are not final until approved.