Congratulations on your new home! There’s plenty to do when moving into a new space – from unpacking and finding where to put belongings, to figuring out your monthly bills. Every space is unique, with its own look, size, age, appliances, and how it’s built. These factors can also affect how much you spend on energy each month.
Your bill will likely not be the same as your last place. By understanding what influences your energy usage and learning how to manage it, especially during colder and hotter months when usage typically rises due to the weather, you can better control your monthly energy expenses.
Here are some steps you can take to manage your account and your bill in your new home.
Create a DTE online account
Manage your energy service online by creating an account on our website. Once you’re logged in, you can explore the various billing and payment programs that are available to personalize how you pay your energy bill.
Your account can be accessed online or through our DTE Mobile App.
Explore our free energy usage tools
Our free energy usage tools make it easy to learn how you use energy so you can make the right decisions for your household’s budget. Sign into or create your DTE online account and use the Bill Analyzer Tool at the “Analyze my Bill” button to help you:
- Analyze your energy usage by the hour, week, month or year.
- Calculate your DTE bill based on changes you make.
- Discover what appliances use the most energy in your home.
- Try out a new electric rate to see how it could impact your projected bill.
- Understand how outside factors, such as the length of the billing period or weather, can impact your bill.
Learn about the factors that impact your bill
Don’t wait until you see your first bill of the season to make changes to your energy habits. Learn about the factors that impact your energy bill so you know what to expect this season and year-round.
- Energy Usage: The primary factor impacting an energy bill is usage. You use more natural gas and electricity in the winter – to heat homes and water, cook hot meals and you use more electronic devices and lights inside when it’s dark out each winter. And in the summer, you use more electricity to keep your home cool and comfortable.
- Fluctuation in Temps: Even just a few days of extremely cold weather can make your furnace or air conditioner work harder and longer, increasing your energy usage.
- Monthly Billing Cycle: Cycles can run from 26 to 35 days, so monthly bills may vary based on the number of days. The number of days in your meter reading schedule can vary based on holidays and weekends.
- Household Changes: More people in your home means appliances are used more or thermostats are adjusted to make guests more comfortable.
Learn tips to lower your energy bill
For tips to stay warm and lower your energy bill in the winter, visit dteenergy.com/staywarm.
For tips to stay cool and lower your energy bill in the summer, visit dteenergy.com/staycool.
Are you renting? Ask your landlord if a smart thermostat is an option, allowing you to set a schedule or adjust the temperature any time, from anywhere, right from your smartphone to help reduce costs.