Case Study
Electricity providers in the U.S. and Canada are making strides in educating and engaging consumers on better controlling how much energy they use, the resulting costs they incur and the benefits of shifting their usage.
These case studies collected by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative spotlight how smart energy technologies and programs have engaged consumers to empower them to match the energy they use with their needs.
DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.4 million customers in Michigan. Its electric company, DTE Electric, which was founded in 1903, is the largest electric utility in Michigan.
As energy affordability challenges continue nationwide, DTE Energy has invested in a multi-year effort to make bills easier for customers to understand. Working with Convey, DTE expanded its Bill Analyzer Tool from a simple billing breakdown into a fully integrated, AI-powered experience that explains why a bill changed and what customers can do next.
The Bill Analyzer Tool initially launched in 2022 with a bill simulator that showed customers how their choices affected bills, followed by a rate simulator in 2023. Each release answered more of the customers’ questions than the last. The AI-powered enhancement entered pilot in 2025 and reached full implementation in 2026, marking four years of continuous development on a single tool rather than a series of replacements.
During the 2025 pilot, more than 95,000 customers used the enhanced Bill Analyzer Tool, and DTE measured a 95% call deflection rate, showing that most customers resolved their billing questions through self-service. The rollout to the full customer base was completed in 2026. While full-population results are still being collected, early indications are consistent with the pilot results. DTE and Convey continue to develop the tool together.
