A group of Northwest Indiana residents who have voiced concerns about high electric and gas bills announced Tuesday that they’re prepared to take their findings to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
“You have people across Northwest Indiana who are being forced to decide which bills they can pay and which they cannot pay,” said Terri Logan, a Hamlet resident. “Many of us believe Northwest Indiana is approaching an economic crisis driven by unchecked utility costs.”
Logan was one of the residents who worked on and presented the 2026 NIPSCO Energy Affordability Impact Brief, which examines residents’ bills in the last few months compared to a year ago. The brief documents rising gas delivery charges, which are often higher than usage prices for concerned residents.
Those who helped with the report plan to share its findings at the March 24 IURC investigative inquiry in Indianapolis.
NIPSCO and four other companies will present on various topics, including how usage and rates lead to bills, the impact of growth on affordability, and short-term steps that can increase bill transparency and rising energy costs, according to the IURC. The inquiry will be from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the PNC Center in Indianapolis, and it will be streamed on the IURC’s website.
“Energy service is not a luxury,” said La’Tonya Troutman, a Michigan City resident. “It is a basic infrastructure that families depend on to live solely. We rely on energy for almost everything in our daily lives.”
In a statement Tuesday, NIPSCO responded to residents’ concerns. The utility announced March 2 that it would offer temporary support measures through March 31, including waived late and reconnect fees, paused service disconnections for nonpayment and reduced reconnect deposits for gas customers.
“Our commitment remains centered on listening to our customers and supporting them, particularly those most affected by rising household costs,” the statement said. “Additionally, NIPSCO previously committed to the launch of a new electric bill payment assistance program for income qualified customers in the summer of 2026. The program includes an annual $1.5 million shareholder-funded contribution and will provide direct bill support to eligible electric customers.”
NIPSCO also explained the delivery charges residents see on bills, saying in the statement that the charge covers the regulated cost of safely delivering gas to homes and businesses. Gas bills also include supply charges, reflecting the market price of natural gas, and NIPSCO “does not control or mark up the price of natural gas.”
Customers’ bills are structured through a per therm rate multiplied by the number of therms used, according to NIPSCO. In high usage months, including December, January and February, the bill increases because “the approved bill structure applies an approved delivery per therm rate to the amount of therms used,” and the bill increases because therms used increases.
In January, the average customer used about 160 therms, and in August 2025, they used about 14 therms, according to NIPSCO.
“During colder weather, customers use significantly more natural gas to heat their homes, which increases both the supply and delivery portions of the bill,” the statement said. “Delivery charges support the operation, maintenance and safety of the entire natural gas system, including transmission and distribution mains, service lines, regulator stations and emergency response. And, like supply charges, they increase when more gas is used. These charges are reviewed and approved through a public regulatory process.”
More information on bills can be found at NIPSCO.com/bill, and NIPSCO offers assistance programs, flexible payment plans and the budget plan to help customers afford their bills.
Logan runs the “NIPSCO Monopoly Madness” group on Facebook, which has about 32,000 members who are concerned with their high utility bills. The main issue seems to be delivery charge fees, Logan said.
Logan and other residents are concerned about those who are on a fixed income who are struggling to pay high utility bills. Some people are receiving bills that are hundreds of dollars more expensive than one year ago.
According to the report, in a low usage month, an anonymous resident’s gas delivery charge was about 80% of their gas bill, costing $19.19 while their supply was $2.24. During the winter, delivery charges cost $93.88 and supply cost $59.25. Other residents have said their bills cost hundreds of dollars more than in previous years.
“The 2026 Energy Affordability Impact Brief is proof of what residents have been experiencing,” Logan said. “Our mission is simple: hold NIPSCO and legislators accountable for what’s happening to consumers, ensuring that the voices of the people in our communities are heard.”
The report shows that residents’ concerns are not an isolated complaint or temporary frustration, Troutman said, and she hopes that IURC members will take their concerns seriously.
“This is an enormous energy affordability crisis,” Troutman said. “For many families, the confusing part is that the delivery charades are sometimes higher than the energy they actually used. Families deserve clear answers about why these costs have increased so dramatically.”
During the 2026 Indiana legislative session, legislators passed House Bill 1002 — authored by state Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville — which allows residential ratepayers to be placed on budget billing plans on July 1, and utilities will be prohibited from disconnecting low-income customers’ services during periods with extreme heat warnings. The legislation also ties utility profits to performance metrics, including affordability and service restoration, and utilities will use a three-year rate plan.
Kim Robison, a Lake Station resident, helped with the report and has amplified multiple protests against high NIPSCO bills in the region. Robison’s February bill tripled from its amount the year before, and she’s now behind on paying her bill.
“This totally caught me off guard,” Robison said. “I am a tax accountant, but the rest of the year, I don’t really work very much, so I don’t have a lot of money to spend on my NIPSCO bill all the time. Usually, I only have a couple hundred dollars left each month, and my bill was like $400-500 more than it normally was.”
Robison is worried about the effect that high utility bills will have on other areas of the country, especially if families don’t have much money left to spend in other areas of their life.
“People don’t want to just exist and survive — they want to thrive,” Robison said. “We need something done now.”
