Community Corner

Having Trouble Paying Electric Bills In Detroit? Please Share Your Story

Many Detroiters can't afford to pay their electric bills.

By Sarah Alvarez, Erin Smith and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica

June 17, 2021

In 2020, DTE Energy shut off 80,606 electric accounts for nonpayment. This happened even in the hottest and coldest months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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We are looking into DTE because without electricity, people suffer. In contrast to DTE, the city of Detroit agreed to halt water shutoffs until the end of 2022 to help people make it through the pandemic.

If you use DTE or Consumers Energy for electricity, reporters at Outlier Media and ProPublica need to hear from you: Have debt collectors called you because of an electric bill? If your electricity was shut off, how long were you left in the dark? Do you have shut-off notices you can share?

Find out what's happening in Across Americafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

If you need help filling out this form or want to share over the phone, please call: 313-314-6578‬.


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