Members of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission hosted a listening session to learn more about residents’ concerns with utility bills at the Gary Public Library Monday night, the eighth of 10 stops statewide.
IURC Chairman Andy Zay told attendees that the commission plans to use findings from the sessions to put together an energy affordability report about 45 to 60 days after the final listening session, which is scheduled for April 22 in Terre Haute. The listening sessions are also part of a commission investigative inquiry into five Indiana utilities, including the Northern Indiana Public Service Company.
“I know there are things that you are giving up to be here because this is important to you,” Zay said. “I want you to know that we appreciate that. We hear you, and it’s important to us, too.”
More than 20 people spoke at Monday’s listening session, including local public officials. Zay occasionally responded to comments or answered questions.
Members of United Steelworkers Local Union 12775 and 13796 also attended Monday’s listening session, standing in a line in the back of the Roma K. Ivey Community Room, holding signs in protest of the unions’ lockout at NIPSCO.
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, thanked the unions for attending and told IURC that high utility costs are not sustainable statewide.
“Utilities are not a luxury — they’re a necessity,” Harris said. “For many, these increases have forced impossible choices between keeping the heat on, buying groceries, purchasing medication or meeting other household needs.”
Utility affordability was a top priority during Indiana’s 2026 legislative session for both Democrats and Republicans, and Harris said it will also be a priority next year. The legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1002, which Braun has signed into law.
The legislation, authored by state Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, which allows some 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. House Enrolled Act 1002 also ties utility profits to performance metrics, including affordability and service restoration, and utilities will use a three-year rate plan.
Public officials have said the legislation is the starting point for energy affordability.
“It’s unfair,” said state Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary. “The people in this room, they’re not just numbers. They are people, they are families, just trying to get through to the end of the month.”
Cynthia Deery, a Griffith resident, told the IURC that in 2023, the gas delivery charge for her NIPSCO bill was $20 each month, but now, it’s up to $100.
Delivery charges have been the main concern for most Northwest Indiana residents who have been hit with high NIPSCO bills, with many saying that those fees are often higher than usage charges. According to the Citizens Action Coalition, delivery charges are a combination of various fees, and it covers the cost of delivering gas to homes and can include funding pipelines, maintenance, safety and consumer service.
In addition to her delivery charges, Deery said her bill has continued to increase, even after replacing the furnace in her home and turning down her heat. Deery is also frustrated that residential ratepayers pay sales tax, but corporations building data centers get exceptions.
“I was told not to come here today because my voice is just going to be wasted,” Deery said. “That increases my anger. … We have to keep up, and we have to dictate change.”
Diane Johnson, a retired Gary resident, told IURC members that her NIPSCO bill has come to $2,240, after being about $700 in August.
“I’m going to have to go back to work to afford my NIPSCO bill,” Johnson said.
She applied for the utility’s energy assistance program, but Johnson was told she’s not eligible. Johnson is also paying her bill off in installments, but the total charge keeps growing higher each month.
“I don’t know where to go,” Johnson said. “I don’t know what to do. … The bills don’t even look the same, and I don’t know what I’m being charged for.”
Joann Keck works for Service Sanitation in Gary, and she said the company received a $149,643.85 NIPSCO bill. The property includes an office building with a large garage, outbuilding and CNG pump, she said.
Keck said the bill came after she had received a $45,000 charge and called NIPSCO. When she called again, NIPSCO gave an adjustment and charged the company $130,284, she added.
“My home bill is ridiculous, too,” Keck said. “It’s almost $900 a month, and we keep our heat at 66 degrees.”
Multiple attendees told commissioners that they opposed NIPSCO’s 22% electric rate increase when the IURC held public field hearings in winter 2024. At the time, the utility claimed the increase would cost typical residential customers an additional $32 each month, but the Citizens Action Coalition said the increase is more like $45 per month, according to Post-Tribune archives.
“I think there should be some kind of relief very soon in the future,” said Gary resident Carolyn McCrady, who also read her testimony from the December 2024 rate increase hearing. “You are here to regulate on behalf of both parties, not just the industry side.”
The Citizens Action Coalition, in a July 2025 report, found that electric utility bills have increased more than $28 per month statewide, or 17.5%. NIPSCO residential customers were hit hardest, with about a $50 per month, or 26.7% increase, in one year.
NIPSCO President and COO Vince Parisi participated in a March 24 investigative inquiry into Indiana’s energy affordability. Parisi had up to 20 minutes to speak about the utility’s reach, bill transparency, rising energy costs, energy assistance programs, customer usage and potential impact of growth on affordability, according to Post-Tribune archives.
In addition to NIPSCO, AES Indiana, CenterPoint Energy, Duke Energy and Indiana Michigan Power Company presented during the inquiry.
NIPSCO responded that it is aware of the IURC listening sessions taking place across Indiana, and it values “the regulatory process and ensure compliance with all applicable rules and regulations.”
“As a regulated utility, NIPSCO files all its rates with the IURC,” the statement said. “NIPSCO does not set or raise prices on its own. ”
“All rates go through a transparent regulatory process that includes the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) and external community groups acting to protect customers, including Citizens Action Coalition, and all of NIPSCO’s recent rate cases have been resolved through settlement agreements with all or almost all these stakeholders,” the statement continued. “Each has also been approved by the IURC. When rates change, NIPSCO communicates with the press, customers, and community stakeholders to explain why and what the expected impact may be, so customers are prepared. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss the continued importance of strong, reliable and safe utility infrastructure and the investments we have made and will make in our system to ensure our customers and communities are served, even in extreme weather conditions like those we experienced this winter.”
NIPSCO will “continue to focus on supporting customers who may need assistance,” according to the statement. The utility won’t disconnect residential customers for nonpayment through May 15.
“NIPSCO will also launch a new electric bill payment assistance program this summer, backed by a $1.5 million annual commitment, to provide further support for income-qualified customers,” the statement said. “NIPSCO also held customer care center meetings in communities throughout our service territory to listen to our customers and will continue to host additional customer care centers to provide support and connect with customers with available resources.”
Zay told attendees that the IURC has received an “unprecedented number of complaints” since he was appointed to the commission on Jan. 12.
“Careful attention must be paid to the impact these increases can have when combined with inflation, fuel cost and other forces outside of utility control,” Zay said. “It’s difficult to put a price tag on reliability. However, if that balance is strained, this is something we have to pay attention to.”
