LANSING – Both of the state’s two largest utilities have now been ordered to repay customers for excessive rates they had self-implemented with the completion of a rate case Monday for Detroit Edison.
Edison will have to refund $62.6 million plus interest, meaning about a 1.3 percent rate cut for customers, the Public Service Commission said (case No. U-15768). But customers will end up with a 4.8 percent increase over rates approved under the prior rate case.
Edison had requested a $378 million increase and had implemented about $280 million of it. But the PSC approved only $217.4 million in increases.
“The commission carefully weighed each aspect of this case as it made its decision,” said PSC Chair Orjiakor Isiogu. “Once again, my fellow commissioners and I did not approve executive bonuses. And to improve electric reliability, we have required the utility to spend a certain amount on tree-trimming activities and to move forward with the implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure.”
ELECTRIC DEMAND: Edison and the other electric utilities have until March 31 to tell the commission what they expect their demand to be for the coming year and how they plan to meet it. The commission has required the annual energy assessments for some years to avoid power shortages that have threatened in the past.
The commission (case No. U-16160) is also seeking input from the state’s two transmission providers on the issue.
L.E.D. STREETLIGHTS: All of the state’s electric providers will have to come up with tariffs that recognize municipalities converting to more efficient street lighting. Both the Edison order and a separate order for other utilities (case No. U-16186) called for new rates for cities using light emitting diode technology for streetlights and traffic signals, particularly where the power use for those items is not metered.
The new tariffs are due February 10.
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