STATEHOUSE (Feb. 18, 2026) – State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) is calling on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to review Northern Indiana Public Service Company's increasing residential utility rates.
In a letter addressed to IURC Chair Andy Zay, Pressel noted that House lawmakers in northern Indiana have received a significant increase in correspondence from constituents regarding their NIPSCO bills. The IURC’s 2025 Electricity Residential Bill Survey shows NIPSCO customers using 1,000 kWh in July saw an over 90% increase in their 2025 bill compared to 2016. Additionally, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that NIPSCO had the second highest residential customer rate for all electric utilities reporting data.
"Hoosiers in our community are struggling with high utility bills and we want to see solutions," Pressel said. "We are now asking the IUCR and NIPSCO to review current utility rates and take more consideration of the customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills."
Pressel called on the IURC to investigate and evaluate three specific areas: investments and operational expenses in the past decade that have resulted in NIPSCO having the largest rate increase among the IURC-regulated electric utilities, improvements that can be made to enhance transparency around NIPSCO’s residential electric and natural gas bills so customers can have better clarity on their rates and charges, and steps that can be taken in the short term to provide more rate stability and help curb rising retail rates for all customer classes for electric and natural gas service.
Pressel co-authored House Bill 1002 this session aimed at increasing energy affordability and holding utilities accountable for hitting performance benchmarks tied to lowering costs and improving service. HB 1002 recently passed the Senate and has returned to the House for final consideration.
"An immediate NIPSCO review, in addition to the regulatory changes we're advancing this session, will put the state in a better position to address rising utility costs and provide real relief for ratepayers," Pressel said.
Pressel encourages constituents with any concerns regarding utility rates to contact his office at in.gov/h20 or call 317-232-9648.
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State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) represents District 20,
which includes portions of LaPorte and Starke counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
