News Release

MERRILLVILLE — The Northern Indiana Public Service Company is seeking to increase the average household’s monthly bill by 22%, in a rate petition filed with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

“The request is largely driven by continued investments in renewable energy to support the company’s online electric generation transition, along with infrastructure upgrades to provide enhanced safety and reliability,” NIPSCO said in a statement released today, Thursday, Sept. 12.

According to NIPSCO, an average residential electric customer under this proposal would see an overall increase of approximately $32 per month or approximately 22%.

The hike, if approved by the IURC, would be implemented in two phases, the first by Sept. 1, 2025, and the second by March 2026.

NIPSCO’s natural gas rates are not affected by this request. However, the first phase of a 7% increase in natural-gas rates did go into effect this past August, with the second phase going into effect no later than March 2025. Under this rate hike, the average residential natural gas customer using 72 therms per month will see when fully implemented an overall monthly increase of approximately $5 (or 7.1%). This increase is lower than the one which NIPSCO initially proposed, of $8 per month or 10.6%.

NIPSCO’s electric rate petition “will undergo a thorough regulatory review process, which includes the opportunity for the public to provide input,” the company noted.

“We are making progress on our electric generation transition that will provide direct benefits to the customers and communities we serve, now and well into the future,” NIPSCO President and COO Vince Parisi. “These proposed rates will support that ongoing transition, as well as infrastructure and system upgrades to strengthen our system and provide the increased safety, reliability, and value that our customers expect and deserve.”

Part of this petition includes a proposal for a new bill payment assistance program for income qualified customers, with a portion funded by NIPSCO, the company said. In addition, NIPSCO has proposed a new multifamily housing rate structure that, if approved, would allow for a 9% or approximately $10 per month decrease in the bill paid by an average multifamily housing customer using 444 kwh per month as compared to the standard residential rate.