Consumers Energy defends higher prices, bills

Will need to set AC much higher now as we already have high SEER rated unit, new windows and made choices to run heavy use items at night. Response from CE did not address what the percent increase of the rate was on June 19th - anyone have an idea of that?

Phil, I called CE last month when my bill DOUBLED!! Normally $28-$40, it was $78. Was told they raised prices 15%

Today I got my bill and it was $115. About fell out of my chair, it has never, ever been higher than $60 and in the past 6 months we've replaced our refrigerator with an energy saver and use the newfangled light bulbs. Can't figure out why it's so high.

about the last 3 or 4 months ce added some other tax or surcharge...use to be 34 to 41 monthly now its 54. for same usage called them and they said no clue with them about it ....LOL...we are like electric city here....hot water heater is nat gas...guess enjoyed the rates too long.....also all last summer the a/c ran along with 2 fans..Got out of the deal with UGE.. charges and now have the price increase of CE....Life in the USA (could be worse)!!!!!!!

My bill doubled too. Went from $99 to $198. Figured it was from using the air too much and leaving the light on.

I'm just tired of all this rising prices on gas, food, you name it. I am not even doing grocery shopping anymore. I buy a few things at Aldi when I need it. I have not used my 2 credit cards in months. Have $500 limit and got it down to $400 and the other have $300 limit and it's down to $240. Will pay them off and keep them for an emergency. I think the stress of owing, owing and not being able to cover basic bills and food will take it's toll on everyone soon.

My bill also increased by $35. I called them, and got the run around, and eventually they hung up on me. I was told it was because the "heat index" was 15 degrees higher this year than last year. I changed all of my bulbs to the new floresant bulbs and expected my bill to be lower. I believe Consumers Energy just wanted to make all of the profit as other gas hogs are so they raised everyone's bills and didn't expect the high volume of anger towards them. There's no other electric company in Michigan to hook to so we are s c r e w e d. Why raise prices when people are below the poverty line. Wouldn't it make more sense to make more money than to loose it? Sounds more like another gas scam to me.

There's no defense for this robbery of the little guy! BIG business is trying to snuff out the middle class...
I suppose Exxon-Mobil thinks they deserve the HUGE profits they are seeing???!

Liz wrote:

Phil, I called CE last month when my bill DOUBLED!! Normally $28-$40, it was $78. Was told they raised prices 15%
Today I got my bill and it was $115. About fell out of my chair, it has never, ever been higher than $60 and in the past 6 months we've replaced our refrigerator with an energy saver and use the newfangled light bulbs. Can't figure out why it's so high.

Mean you actually believed them when they said it was only going to be that small of an increase ..LMAO .. They will lie about it just like all the other major energy companies . They have a monopoly and the only way you can stop them is to put up a wind generator of your own and convert everything over to wind and solar energy and then tell them to get their stuff off your property , that is the only way you will beat them . Course it will cost you more upfront but in the long run you will actually save money.

Hey, y'all. Just wait until the electric cars come out.
Then you will see some electric bills.

ambrosia wrote:

Hey, y'all. Just wait until the electric cars come out.
Then you will see some electric bills.

Thats why people need to start putting up wind generators .This will help a lot on saving money,plus if you do it right you can sell your electric back to CE and then they can pay you .

My normal bill for our small ranch style home is 130 to 150 per month.....imagine my surprise when I got my bill for 225.00!!!! That's like a car insurance payment to me.

I talked to my dad ...there bill was around 100.00 and they haven't even lived in their home this summer!

My dad retired from Consumers so I try to think of the money I send in going to his retirement....it makes it so much easier to pay the bill....I do appreciate the people who go out on Storm duty when the weather is really really bad and they get the power going again....my brother does that....not fun going from state to state to disaster area and back.....and being away from the family.

Consumers Energy billed me for 37 days for whatever reason.

My rate went down. Before June 19 my rate was $0.0537 per KWH. After June 20 my rate is $0.0475 per KWH. I don't know when the last time it went up was, but I've had the 5 cent rate for at least a year. What is new is this $6.00 a month "system access charge". So while I may be paying on average $1.75 less for my electric (per KWH), I'm paying $6.00 more in fees.

Well CE said that they have not read our meter for 36 months its been an est.but now they can magicaly read it and gave us 20 days to pay $1990.37 or they will shut it off on me my wife and 3 kids. I called and said we pay our bill every month and have rec. of that they said sorry and the phone went to a busy signal.plus the back el. is at $0.75cents and the normal on the bill is$0.54per whatever they charge and a 2% late fee will be added every month to the balance that is 40$ per month just late fees. we cant afford this and i guess will have to go without until I can get someone to listen!!!

I am who I am wrote:

My normal bill for our small ranch style home is 130 to 150 per month.....imagine my surprise when I got my bill for 225.00!!!! That's like a car insurance payment to me.
I talked to my dad ...there bill was around 100.00 and they haven't even lived in their home this summer!
My dad retired from Consumers so I try to think of the money I send in going to his retirement....it makes it so much easier to pay the bill....I do appreciate the people who go out on Storm duty when the weather is really really bad and they get the power going again....my brother does that....not fun going from state to state to disaster area and back.....and being away from the family.

Yeah and its not going to get any better .

our bill is normally 58$ to 75$ per month payed evry month not 1990.37 like the want from us now!?

My Electric went up only 238 kilowatt hours from last months Consumers bill but my bill also went up $238 just for my eletric part of the bill. I'm getting charged $1 per extra kilowatt hour over June's bill. Come On, really!!

Brenda wrote:

My Electric went up only 238 kilowatt hours from last months Consumers bill but my bill also went up $238 just for my eletric part of the bill. I'm getting charged $1 per extra kilowatt hour over June's bill. Come On, really!!

Everyone needs to file complaints . if we ALL gte togther as a whole they will do something . as teh saying goes united we stand devided we fall .

A concerned person wrote:

<quoted text>
Everyone needs to file complaints . if we ALL gte togther as a whole they will do something . as teh saying goes united we stand devided we fall .

Thanks.

I fell over when I opened my bill!!

HELP>>I've fallen & I can't get up.

I heard the Gas Company is going up 40%!!

For anyone using a window AC make sure to meaesure sqare footage for the area in which it will be used. I did that and found out I should be using one with 8,000 BTU instead of the 5,500 that I was using. I now use an 8,000 btu with energy star rating and my bill fell by about fifteen to twenty dollars.

It doesn't help when you're on a fixed income and everything goes up but the income. the buck really does stop here!