INDIANAPOLIS — As Hoosiers continue to see rising utility bills, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday it is launching what it calls an "investigative inquiry" into energy affordability.
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The commission is calling on the state's five largest investor-owned utilities — AES, Duke, Indiana Michigan Power, NIPSCO and CenterPoint — to publicly answer questions about rate structures, billing transparency, and where relief may be possible. The Office of Utility and Consumer Counselor will also participate.
The move is unusual for the agency, which typically handles formal rate cases brought before it rather than initiating its own public review.
"Today is a little bit unprecedented. We don't do press conferences as the IURC. We're not typically an outward-facing agency," IURC Chairman Andy Zay said.
Zay said the inquiry comes amid growing complaints from consumers, lawmakers and the governor about high energy costs.
"That balance feels dramatically out of whack right now for many, many Hoosiers, and today is the beginning of a process that we are labeling an investigative inquiry," Zay said.
The commission regulates electricity, natural gas, wastewater, telecommunications and pipeline safety across Indiana. Zay described the agency as largely reactive, responding to cases filed by utilities.
"It's not typically our style as a commission to get involved in these issues, but we've certainly seen a volume of complaints to our consumer affairs division… It's time," Zay said. "I believe this inquiry will allow us to create a foundation of knowledge, a foundation of information gathering that will allow us to do next steps."
Public meetings with utilities are set to begin on March 24. The commission may also travel the state to hear directly from ratepayers.
Zay said affordability ultimately comes down to what customers see each month.
"I think affordability is defined every day or every month by Hoosiers when they receive that bill and whether that bill is affordable to them or not," Zay said.
For some customers, the financial pressure is already being felt. Shonta Roberts, an AES customer, said she was stunned when her bill arrived.
"I think it's absurd. I live in a house that is three times the size of this one, and my bill is a fraction of the cost," Roberts said. "It's a struggle just to buy groceries when you add in the electric bill."
Fellow AES customer Carman Malone said she wants accountability from her utility provider.
"I just want to make sure that I'm paying for a service that I'm actually receiving," Malone said.
Malone said the investigation cannot come fast enough.
"We just want to have answers or concrete evidence to show why these bills have increased so drastically, so quickly," Malone said.
State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, called the announcement an important first step and credited the legislature for prompting the commission to act.
"I think this is an unprecedented day for the IURC to act as quickly to the legislature reaching out to them directly to start an investigation process," Pressel said.
While he noted the word "investigation" can sound severe, Pressel described the effort as informational.
"An investigation sounds really scary, but I think it's more informational than anything else and take a deep dive," Pressel said.
Pressel said he hopes the inquiry leads to answers about how rates reached current levels.
"I think the IURC wants to come up with a solution or come up with a finding of how did we get here and how do we go forward and lessen costs if possible on the ratepayers," Pressel said.
Zay said the commission's broader role is to balance affordability with reliability and other energy priorities, and that the inquiry could lead to further regulatory or legislative action.
"The issue is before us today and now, and it's time to weigh in and lean into this a little bit," Zay said. "This is the beginning, not the end of a process."
As the energy industry, we are committed to serving our customers reliably and affordably. The system investments driving today’s costs are the backbone of reliability ensuring power is available when families and businesses need it most. We will be prepared to address the cost of reliability before the Commission, including the underlying drivers and the steps being taken to control expenses.
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Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
