LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Starting Nov. 1, Michigan families served by Consumers Energy will be paying more to keep the heat on. Regulators approved a $157 million natural gas rate hike, telling customers the extra dollars are needed to replace aging pipelines and fix leaks before they become hazards.

The Michigan Public Service Commission cut the utility’s original $248 million request by more than a third, but the bottom line for households is the same: higher bills. A typical household will pay about $6.44 more each month—an 8.1% increase heading straight into winter.

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Most of the money is earmarked for safety projects: nearly $209 million to replace high-risk mains, $42.5 million to swap out outdated service lines, and funding for advanced methane detectors to spot leaks early. Regulators also okayed upgrades to gas storage sites and “city gate” stations that regulate pressure.

But not everything Consumers wanted made the cut. Renovation costs for its Kalamazoo Service Center were denied, and parts of a low-income support program were trimmed. Regulators told the company to tighten its belt, show real productivity gains to offset inflation, and deliver a 10-year plan by 2026 spelling out how it will meet demand during Michigan’s coldest days.

With intervenors ranging from the Michigan Department of Attorney General to environmental and consumer groups, the fight over who pays—and how much—is far from over.