James Harper, a resident of Hammond’s Hessville neighborhood, saw his electric and gas bill increase from about $168 to $400 in December. Since then, Harper’s learned that he’s not the only person with higher bills, and he’s worried about his neighbors.
“I live alone, and that bill is just for me,” Harper said. “I make $100,000 a year. … What about people who don’t make the money I do? They’ve got to be struggling.”
Harper was one of dozens of Northwest Indiana residents who protested high utility bills on Sunday, with most concerned with high gas delivery charges.
Kevin Mejia helped organize a protest of Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, at its Hammond district office, 1313 167th St. In addition to Sunday’s protest, Mejia has planned one for Wednesday at NIPSCO’s corporate headquarters in Merrillville.
“I think people are really showing up because people are affected,” said Mejia, an East Chicago resident. “People are clearly out here for other people. It’s not just about themselves. They might be here for seniors or their neighbors, and I think that it’s really important that everybody stands up for what they believe in.”
Mejia hopes that NIPSCO listens to customers’ concerns and lowers the delivery charge and creates more emergency assistance options.
“We just need more assistance to make bills more affordable,” he said. “We need more resources for the community, and make sure that we stop getting high delivery charges. I think that’s the main thing driving charges up.”
In June, NIPSCO received Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approval to increase electric rates by 16.75%, according to the utility’s website, and residential customers were expected to see 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.”
In July, the Citizens Action Coalition found that statewide electric utility bills have increased by more than $28 per month, or 17.5%, according to Post-Tribune archives. NIPSCO residential customers were hit hardest, with about a $50 per month, or 26.7% increase, in one year.
Ramona Stampley, a Hammond resident, said her NIPSCO bill recently increased from about $200 to $600. She works as a caregiver and recently had to start housekeeping to pay her bills.
Stampley is also worried about her neighbors who are struggling, she said, especially as temperatures continue to drop.
“It’s really cold, and it’s a hard time for us,” Stampley said. “It feels like they don’t care about us.”
Stampley said the protest was important to her, and she hopes that state leaders and NIPSCO listen to protestors’ concerns.
“For some people, you either pay your NIPSCO bill or you go hungry,” Stampley said. “You have to choose, and most of the time, people choose to be hungry. This will be bad.”
Lynette Ajibade, a Hammond resident, attended Sunday’s protest and encouraged everyone to share concerns with legislators and reminded them to vote. State leaders are those who can speak up for residents, Ajibade said, and she encouraged people to talk to them about their high bills.
“They are our voice, and we need to let them know that we mean business, and we’re concerned,” Ajibade said. “It’s good to see people present and watch people voice their concerns. We just need to work with our legislators to get more work done.”
A NIPSCO representative previously said in an email that the company understands that some customers have been concerned with high winter bills, and energy usage and bills tend to be higher during the winter, according to Post-Tribune archives. The utility offers budget plans and financial assistance for customers to manage costs and avoid seasonal spikes.
“There are two primary components of natural gas bills — the cost of delivering natural gas to customers (shown on the bill as ‘Delivery Charges’) and the cost of natural gas itself (shown on the bill as ‘Gas Supply Charges),” the utility’s statement said. “The Gas Supply Charge, or the cost of natural gas itself, is driven by market prices, and NIPSCO does not control or mark up these costs. Delivery Charges cover the cost of safely and reliably operating and maintaining the system that brings natural gas to homes and businesses and vary based on the amount of gas a customer uses. Colder temperatures mean higher natural gas usage, which impacts the ‘delivery’ portion of customers’ bills.
“These charges go toward maintaining our 18,100 miles of distribution pipelines and 720 miles of transmission pipelines, responding to service calls, and ensuring safe, reliable service for more than 900,000 customers. They also fund system upgrades to improve safety, reliability, and long-term service, as well as financing the cost of those improvements.”
Prior to Sunday’s protest, NIPSCO responded to the plans in a statement to the Post-Tribune.
“NIPSCO is aware of several social media posts calling for protests at or near company locations, and we are taking proactive steps to ensure operations remain safe and uninterrupted,” the statement said. “We value our customers, respect their right to voice their concerns, and we are committed to delivering safe and reliable service. The safety of our employees and community remains our top priority. We will take appropriate steps to maintain a safe environment while supporting lawful and peaceful expression.”