Natural Gas Balance Impact

You are eligible to enroll in Natural Gas Balance If you are a DTE residential or small business natural gas customer and your account is in good standing. During enrollment you will select one of four impact levels. Please also review the program’s terms and conditions.

After enrolling in Natural Gas Balance, your participation level begins within your next two billing cycles. Your Natural Gas Balance impact level will show in the “Programs you are enrolled in” section of your monthly statement. No additional equipment or building modifications are required.

Yes. You may change your level of participation once per month and your change will go into effect in the following billing cycle.

To change your level of participation or leave Natural Gas Balance, please return to this page and sign in to your DTE account to review and make changes. You can also email us or call us at(833.628.4270).

Your participation in Natural Gas Balance directly benefits Michigan’s environment by helping to protect our state’s forests and by supporting the development of renewable natural gas. The program supports carbon offsets produced from Michigan forests, including parcels of the Greenleaf Project near Pictured Rocks and in Marquette County. We contracted with Anew, a leader in creative solutions for climate risk, to manage carbon offsets and protect and preserve more than 25,000 acres of Michigan’s forests.

DTE works in partnership with industry developers in Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects that promote sound forest management and enhance the health and resilience of Michigan's trees, including removing underbrush and planting new trees. Sustained, healthy forests act as natural “scrubbers” that absorb and offset carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from burning natural gas.

Natural Gas Balance also supports DTE’s commitment to renewable natural gas, which addresses greenhouse gas effects of methane by capturing methane gases from landfills and other waste facilities, cleans the natural gas and then redistributes it onto the energy grid.

The amount of emissions balanced is based on the natural gas usage of an average DTE customer’s home. The average DTE residential customer’s annual gas usage is 91Mcf.*

* Quantities of natural gas are usually measured in cubic feet (cf). The M in Mcf is the Roman numeral for 1,000. The average DTE residential gas usage figure is evaluated and updated once a year. 

Your monthly contributions will purchase offsets that help protect and preserve Michigan forests; to procure RNG, which helps to significantly balance the greenhouse gas impact of methane; and to help support program administration.

In a colder climate like Michigan’s, natural gas is the most effective and efficient energy source for home heating and will remain so for the foreseeable future because of its low cost, abundance and reliability.

Our number one goal continues to be to deliver safe, reliable, cleaner and affordable energy to our customers while protecting the environment through a diverse mix of energy options.

A carbon offset is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions made to compensate for emissions produced elsewhere. It provides a way to balance your carbon footprint by investing in environmental projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

We contracted with Anew, to manage carbon offsets and protect and preserve more than 25,000 acres of Michigan’s forests in the Greenleaf Project.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is natural gas derived by capturing methane emitted from organic waste material in landfills and wastewater treatment plants. Methane gas is trapped and impurities are removed, creating a renewable source of pipeline quality gas. Using RNG prevents methane from being released into the atmosphere, significantly reducing the greenhouse gas environmental impact of methane.

We purchase RNG from multiple producers, including the Sauk Trail Hills Landfill in Canton, Michigan, and wastewater treatment facilities in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in Nebraska.

Natural gas usage emissions are expressed as carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, or CO2-e. That means the number of metric tons of CO2 emissions with the same global warming potential as one metric ton of any other greenhouse gas. The average natural gas usage emission of a DTE residential customer household is 5 metric tons of CO2-e annually.

The Natural Gas Balance program is approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). Our annual report highlights the number of Natural Gas Balance participants, our program supply details and the total emissions offset through participation.

We use American Carbon Registry (ACR) methodology and protocol to quantify and report greenhouse gas emission benefits that result from our forestry projects. All offsets are registered with ACR.

We are taking bold steps to balance our greenhouse gas emissions to net zero Our innovative DTE Gas Net Zero Plan involves DTE, our suppliers and customers and includes our DTE CleanVision commitment to provide a clean energy future for the communities we serve.

DTE CleanVision is a family of programs, including Natural Gas Balance, that contribute to our ambitious climate action agenda. As we built our Gas Net Zero Plan, we wanted to offer our customers additional affordable and impactful options to balance their environmental footprints. CleanVision Natural Gas Balance is an innovative and effective way for us to work together to create a cleaner environment for future generations.