Merrillville resident Leo Tatro moved to Northwest Indiana to escape high prices in Chicago. But as his gas and electric bills increase, he’s questioned whether it is cheaper.
“My bill has doubled since we first moved out here,” Tatro said. “We don’t even run the heat like we should. We have a wood-burning fireplace, and we pretty much heat our house off the fireplace, but it’s not safe to run the fireplace at night. We’re kicking on the gas at night, and our bill is still almost $1,000.”
Tatro has heard from neighbors that they’re having the same issues, he said, and he has helped pay their bills. Now, Tatro helped organize two Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, protests against rising rates — the first in Hammond on Feb. 1, and the second in Merrillville on Feb. 4.
The Hammond protest will start at noon at NIPSCO’s Hammond District Office, 1313 167th Street. The Merrillville protest will start at 1 p.m. at NIPSCO’s corporate headquarters, 801 E. 86th Ave.
“This is very important,” Tatro said. “I believe this will help. We found a neutral ground now that really needs to be addressed, and that’s really hurting all of us in the community, no matter what your beliefs are and no matter what your background is.”
Tatro has helped organize the protests with East Chicago resident Kevin Mejia, who organized previous protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the region.
It was important for Mejia to organize another protest once he saw how many residents were affected by high utility bills. People across Northwest Indiana have asked Mejia for help with increasing bills.
“Even me personally, I’ve found my NIPSCO bill at least doubling or tripling in the last couple months,” Mejia said. “The usage has been the same with last year’s, but it’s more so the delivery fees and the service charges that are added. … I feel like this it’s now becoming a trend where it keeps increasing.”
NIPSCO responded to the protest reports in a Friday statement.
“NIPSCO is aware of several social media posts calling for protests at or near company locations and we are taking proactive steps to ensure operations remain safe and uninterrupted,” the statement said. “We value our customers, respect their right to voice their concerns, and we are committed to delivering safe and reliable service. The safety of our employees and community remains our top priority. We will take appropriate steps to maintain a safe environment while supporting lawful and peaceful expression.”
In November and December, thousands of NIPSCO residential customers have said on social media that their bills have doubled, and most have noticed an increase in their gas delivery charge, NIPSCO customer Kim Robison told the Post-Tribune.
Robison has helped Tatro and Mejia amplify the protest message across social media, and she’s hopeful that residents will get answers to why their bills are so high.
“People are getting $1,000 bills, $900 bills, $1,300 bills, when it’s normally half that,” said Robison, a Lake Station resident. “There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to any of this. We can’t figure out what the formula is.”
In its statement, NIPSCO said that the company understands that some customers have expressed concerns with high winter bills. A representative for the utility company said energy usage and bills tend to be higher during the winter.
“There are two primary components of natural gas bills — the cost of delivering natural gas to customers (shown on the bill as ‘Delivery Charges’) and the cost of natural gas itself (shown on the bill as ‘Gas Supply Charges),” the utility’s statement said. “The Gas Supply Charge or the cost of natural gas itself is driven by market prices, and NIPSCO does not control or mark up these costs. Delivery Charges cover the cost of safely and reliably operating and maintaining the system that brings natural gas to homes and businesses and (it can) vary based on the amount of gas a customer uses. Colder temperatures mean higher natural gas usage, which impacts the ‘delivery’ portion of customers’ bills. These charges go toward maintaining our 18,100 miles of distribution pipelines and 720 miles of transmission pipelines, responding to service calls, and ensuring safe, reliable service for more than 900,000 customers. They also fund system upgrades to improve safety, reliability, and long-term service, as well as financing the cost of those improvements.”
NIPSCO offers budget plans and financial assistance for customers to manage costs and avoid seasonal spikes, the statement said.
In June, NIPSCO also received Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to increase electric rates by 16.75%, according to the utility’s website, and residential customers could expect an increase of about $23 per month. The rate changes began in July, and the utility company previously said that rate changes would be phased in “to help ease the impact.”
In July, the Citizens Action Coalition found that statewide electric utility bills have increased by more than $28 per month, or 17.5%, according to Post-Tribune archives. NIPSCO residential customers were hit hardest, with about a $50 per month, or 26.7% increase, in one year.
Multiple bills in Indiana’s legislative session address rising electric utility charges, which legislators on both sides of the aisle said is a priority. House Bill 1002 — authored by state Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville — offers multiple solutions to rising electricity bills, including automatically placing residential ratepayers on budget billing and prohibiting utilities from disconnecting low-income customers’ services during periods with extreme heat warnings. The bill also ties utility profits to performance metrics, including affordability and service restoration.
“It brings me fear to know that my community is struggling,” Mejia said. “How are people getting by? What are they sacrificing in order to get by? … It’s a butterfly effect, and I fear for what’s going to come in the future if it continues to go down this path of rate increases and hikes.”
