After months of resident complaints and legislative action, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission announced on Wednesday that it’s conducting an investigative inquiry into the state’s energy affordability.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company, LLC — or NIPSCO — will be one of the five utilities included in that inquiry, which is scheduled for March 24 in Indianapolis. The other utilities included are AES Indiana, CenterPoint Energy, Duke Energy and Indiana Michigan Power Company, according to an IURC news release.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company displays different metering technologies during a community customer care center event at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Michael Gard/for the Post-Tribune)
“Indiana, like every state, is facing a real challenge when it comes to energy affordability,” IURC Chairman Andy Zay said in a news release. “Costs are increasing across the board, and rising utility bills are placing added pressure on budgets that, for many, are already strained. We’ve heard the concerns about the burden utility bills have on families and businesses across the state, and we are committed to evaluating short- and long-term solutions related to affordability.”
Zay was appointed to the IURC post in December by Gov. Mike Braun. He resigned his position as a Republican State Senator for Huntington on Jan. 8.
As part of the investigative inquiry, the five utilities 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.
A NIPSCO spokesperson responded to the inquiry in a Wednesday statement, saying that the utility is committed to cooperating with the commission. The utility also does not set or raise utility prices on its own, the statement said, and the company files rates with the IURC.
Protesters gather in front of the NIPSCO Hammond District Office to voice displeasure with rising utility rates Sunday, Feb. 1. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Rates go through a “transparent regulatory process,” the statement said, including with the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor and external community groups to protect customers. NIPSCO’s latest rate cases have been resolved through settlement agreements with all or almost all stakeholders, and they’ve been approved by the IURC.
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.”
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, is chair of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee. Soliday, along with other representatives, requested an investigation into electric rates, he said.
“Let me make something very clear, the legislature does not set rates, and you don’t want us to,” Soliday said. “The IURC is a court of law. When you don’t like what they decide, you appeal to the state appellate court. … With all the noise out there, specifically with the mayor of Portage, why don’t you file your complaint with the appellate court?”
Last summer, Soliday sent a text to Portage Mayor Austin Bonta threatening to block any request from Portage for state funding because of Bonta’s support for a Portage City Council resolution against NIPSCO’s electrical rate increase.
“I promise I will work hard to make certain your city never gets any revenue increases!!!” Soliday text concluded.
Since complaints weren’t filed with the court, Soliday and other representatives sent a formal letter to the IURC requesting an investigation of NIPSCO rates. The investment interview that the IURC scheduled is not what he requested, Soliday said.
“They will, and they have promised me … that this is just the first step,” he added. “They will proceed with a formal investigation. A formal investigation, they’re saying, could take 60 days to six months.”
Soliday claims that Indiana’s rates are the lowest in the Great Lakes region, and every state is struggling with high energy rates, he said.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in December 2025, Indiana had the lowest price of electricity compared with other east north central states, including Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
The Citizens Action Coalition has found that electric utility bills have increased more than $28 per month statewide, or 17.5%, according to a July report from the organization. NIPSCO residential customers were hit hardest, with about a $50 per month, or 26.7% increase, in one year.
“What we’re asking (the IURC) is to look at the facts,” Soliday said. “If you find something that is wrong, fix it. But let’s stop with all the emotional outbursts. … What’s particularly frustrating is that we have extremely cold months, and you pay for what you use, but we’re having them compare it with November bills and say it’s a rate increase. It isn’t — it’s a use increase.”
This legislative session, Republicans and Democrats have both said electricity affordability was one of their focuses, and both the House and Senate passed House Bill 1002 to tackle that issue.
State Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, authored House Bill 1002, which would allow 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.
State Rep. Alex Burton, D-Evansville, who is a member of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, called the inquiry a culmination of months of concerns raised about high energy bills.
“Rising energy costs are putting real pressure on families, which in turn is driving action in the legislature and at the IURC,” Burton said in a Wednesday statement. “This is one of the several efforts with bipartisan support, and it is encouraging to see what alignment focused on addressing energy costs. … There is more work ahead, but meaningful steps are underway to address Hoosiers’ concerns about rising energy costs.”
On Tuesday, state Rep. Randy Novak, D-Michigan City, said in a statement that he joined a group of state legislators that asked for a review of NIPSCO’s residential utility rates.
“Families across our communities have been sounding the alarm on their utility bills for some time,” Novak said. “When monthly costs spike like this, it demands a serious, independent review. … Hoosiers deserve to understand exactly what they are paying for and to trust the system is working fairly.”
In Northwest Indiana, residents have protested rising NIPSCO rates at both the utility’s Hammond office and Merrilllville headquarters.
Bonta said in a Wednesday text message that the investigative inquiry is a “major change in direction,” and it’s because Indiana residents have called out “dramatic and confounding” rises in electric and gas rates.
“This scheduled inquiry in itself is not a guarantee that the IURC will ultimately fix the current crisis in Indiana, but it does show that when enough people call for a reform, they are being heard,” Bonta said in his text to the Post-Tribune. “It’s now important that Hoosiers continue to raise this issue. Keep writing to the IURC about what you are experiencing and urge them to investigate and fix this statewide problem.”
Bonta is preparing a resolution to present to the Portage council in March to be sent to the IURC before the scheduled inquiry. He hopes they will vote for it, and the city’s voice will be added to the calls to fix the issue.
“Thank you again to all the Hoosiers across our state who have kept this cause up,” Bonta said. “This moment is just the beginning, but it’s a beginning that you have created. Keep being the ‘public noise boxes’ Indiana needs.”
Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, said in a Wednesday statement that the IURC’s decision is unprecedented. The organization supports the action, but Olson believes the IURC is “moving into new territory, behaving more like elected officials than appointees.”
“It is a shame that it had to get to this point before they took action. It is long overdue,” Olson said. “CAC has been sounding the alarm for years, issuing multiple requests for a utility affordability task force. Ratepayers from Evansville to Gary have been organizing over outrageously high bills. Finally, someone is listening. The State of Indiana has been placing monopoly profits over the financial well-being of consumers for far too long. It’s time to balance the scales and bring fairness to the regulatory process. Hoosier ratepayers deserve nothing less.”
After the investigative inquiry, the IURC will determine appropriate next steps, according to the news release. Any formal action taken by the IURC will be taken at one of the commission’s weekly meetings.
“As utility regulators, we are required to review all the evidence and balance factors like reliability and affordability when making decisions, but careful attention must be paid to the impact these increases can have when combined with inflation, fuel costs, and other forces outside of a utility’s control,” Zay said in a statement. “Our focus with this investigative inquiry is to examine some of those cost drivers and identify meaningful steps that can be taken to address issues like bill transparency and affordability without sacrificing reliability.”
