BROAD RIPPLE — The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is holding its fourth public meeting Wednesday night, giving Indianapolis residents the chance to speak on AES Indiana’s proposed rate hike.
Many residents have already shared their concerns over the proposed increase, and now some local businesses are even chiming in.
“It’s already at the point where it’s hard to pay," Billy Hannan, the owner of Broad Ripple Brewpub, emphasized.
Broad Ripple Brewpub is an icon here in Indianapolis.
“We’ve been here for 35 years. We were the first brewpub in the state of Indiana," Hannan said. "There is no Broad Ripple BrewPub anywhere else.”
That means all expenses get paid out of the wallets of Hannan and his wife.
“I look at our finances and I say, 'Okay, we’re doing okay right now…' And then the utility bill comes in, [and] I’m like, 'Maybe we’re not doing as well as I thought we were,'" Hannan said.
He told WRTV his electric bill has never been higher than this summer.
“This year people have been sitting inside, and even now, when it’s nice weather, not everybody is sitting out here [on the patio]," Hannan said. "So, we need to have AC, and it needs to work.”
He struggles to think about paying even more.
“It means that our profits, which are already razor thin, get thinner and thinner," Hannan stated. "I never think about laying people off, but if it came to that, what a shame that would be.”
AES is proposing a total 13.5% rate increase that would happen in two phases. A 7.5% increase would occur in the second quarter of 2026, and then a 6% increase in January 2027.
“For an average user, that equates to about $21 a month," Mallory Duncan, Director of Communications with AES, explained.
WRTV asked Duncan if she was aware of residents' frustrations.
“We know that prices are increasing everywhere; we’ve seen it in many different areas," she said. "And it’s no different for us here at AES Indiana."
However, Duncan explained that the hike is necessary for the company to continue business as usual.
“We’re doing this because the cost of doing business is raising," Duncan said. "So we have to follow along with that.”
For restaurant owners like Hannan, though, it feels like too much.
“There’s gotta be some way they can avoid adding more costs," he stated.
The utility commission is expected to make its decision on the rate proposal early next year.
