For the seventh year in a row, DTE Energy has been recognized by Points of Light as one of the Top 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the United States through the organization’s Civic 50 Award. Points of Light is a global organization that offers tools that allow people to engage in their communities in creative, impactful and inspiring ways.
This award is only made possible through DTE team members’ dedication, the company’s longstanding partnerships and support from the community.
Check out the initiatives that made an impact throughout the state:
Detroit Home Repair Fund:
DTE Energy is committed to powering homes and brighter futures for Detroit residents through the Energy Efficiency Assistance Program (EEA) . This program helps income-qualified customers receive energy-efficient products and services to help them reduce their energy bills and make their homes more comfortable.
Beginning in 2022, DTE partnered with the Gilbert Family Foundation to launch a $20M fund to assist 1,000 income-qualified Detroit homeowners within the 200% federal poverty level to address critical home repairs such as roof replacement, structural improvements, electrical upgrades, asbestos removal, flooding remediation and more.
As of Q1 of this year:
- More than 130 homes have been repaired
- DTE funded more than $800,000 in energy efficiency upgrades
- More than $100,000 has been provided by DTE in home repair funding through the EEA Health and Safety pilot, which provides funding for home repair needs for homes that have barriers to energy efficiency upgrades
Energy Efficiency Academy:
In 2023, DTE Energy partnered with Walker-Miller Energy Services to launch the Energy Efficiency Academy, aimed at helping meet the growing demand for energy-efficient home repairs in Detroit.
The paid workforce development program is designed to provide Detroit residents with Building Analyst and Healthy Home Evaluator certifications through the Building Performance Institute (BPI). Participants receive access to training, on-the-job experience, mentorship and other resources to help meet the needs of a clean energy economy.
Once the training and BPI certification are complete, participants can look forward to entry-level, clean energy jobs with competitive wages and benefits driven by today’s competitive job market.
WFD sets the manometer to get baseline reading prior to conducting blower door test
Volunteerism:
DTE’s company-wide commitment to volunteerism connects employees to hundreds of organizations to further their missions and serve its communities.
In 2023, DTE team members:
- Supported nonprofits in arts, culture & humanities, education, environment, health, human services and more
- Volunteered and assisted over 850 nonprofits throughout Michigan
- Spent over 75,000 hours volunteering in the communities where they live and serve
- Spent 36,000 hours dedicated to skills-based volunteerism
DTE Leaders volunteer at Focus Hope assisting with food delivery for those in need
Listening to our communities:
In early 2023, DTE introduced the ‘Community Sentiment Survey.’ This short, anonymous survey offers another channel to capture the diverse voices and needs within the community.
The feedback gathered during this assessment helps DTE better understand the perspectives and opinions of the company and the needs of its customers and communities. Recent surveys yielded constructive learnings on what’s important to DTE’s community partners.
The invaluable feedback received through this ongoing initiative has helped better inform DTE’s community work, and provided an avenue for the voices of community stakeholders to directly impact decision making, ultimately helping the company maintain strong, informed and effective partnerships to best serve the customers and communities.
So far, DTE has administered three rounds of the Community Sentiment Survey, totaling more than 800 submissions from over 45 counties across its Electric and Gas service territories.
Ground Game
To advance DTE’s aspiration to be the “Best in the World and Best for the World,” the company launched its “Thriving Communities” initiative to enhance DTE’s presence in Michigan communities to understand and respond to community needs while building support for corporate priorities.
The “Thriving Communities” launched a new Executive Committee with DTE’s CEO and 10 executive members who meet monthly to shape strategic direction and ensure progress. Three regional, cross-functional working teams have been established to focus on setting and executing local strategies.
Beyond the Executive Committee, DTE activated employees at every level to support and contribute to this program. Five additional executives serve as Executive Champions for the regional working teams, and over 15 directors and managers from across the company serve as regional Community Network members, expanding the engagement team’s capacity to cultivate relationships with community organizations.
Wire Down Safety Training for Family Fun Day – take your child to work day at DTE Headquarters.