Indiana inquiry into household energy costs puts Centerpoint Energy and other utilities on notice
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission announced an investigative inquiry into rising gas and electric bills and will hold a public hearing March 24 that will include presentations from five investor-owned utility companies, including centerpoint energy. The move follows bipartisan pressure from lawmakers and an uptick in complaints from residents, and it comes amid findings that electricity costs rose in 2025 compared with the previous year.
Centerpoint Energy and the March 24 public hearing
The commission listed five investor-owned companies for presentations at the March 24 hearing: AES Indiana, CenterPoint Energy Indiana, Duke Energy Indiana, Indiana Michigan Power Company, and Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 from 9: 45 a. m. to 4 p, and the commission characterized the session as an initial fact-finding step to better understand energy affordability concerns across the state.
Centerpoint energy's inclusion in the hearing places it alongside the other major utilities as the commission seeks direct explanations about recent rate changes, billing practices and customer impacts. The session will offer regulators a chance to question company representatives and gather testimony that could shape subsequent actions.
Why the commission launched the inquiry and what it will examine
The inquiry follows bipartisan pressure from state lawmakers and an increase in constituent complaints about rising bills. Lawmakers have expressed concern about transparency in billing and the strain high utility bills are placing on residents. The commission said it will ask questions on rates and the transparency of billing and will reflect on the commission’s past actions to help define the scope of the investigation.
A Congressional report found that electricity costs rose in 2025 compared with the previous year, and state lawmakers are weighing measures that would place utility customers on levelized billing plans. Lawmakers also sent letters highlighting sharp increases for some customers: lawmakers wrote that NIPSCO customers saw an over 90% increase in electric bills in July 2025 compared with 2016 and that the company has among the highest residential consumer rates in the federal data reported to the U. S. Energy Information Administration. Those statistics prompted requests that the commission determine whether rates have become unreasonable or unjustly discriminatory.
The commission described the inquiry as the first step in a process to understand an energy affordability crisis across the state and to inform next steps. The new commission chair said the balance between keeping rates low for ratepayers and ensuring utilities remain successful has felt "dramatically out of whack" for many Hoosiers, and emphasized a need for transparency and open dialogue.
Next steps: public input, community meetings and potential policy changes
The commission indicated it wants to hear directly from residents about their bills and plans to travel around the state for community meetings to gather feedback. The fact-finding inquiry will guide what the commission may pursue next, including further hearings or regulatory action if the investigation finds issues that warrant additional scrutiny.
Separately, lawmakers are considering legislation on levelized billing plans and the governor has signed other energy-related laws that form part of the broader policy backdrop. The inquiry and March 24 hearing are positioned to clarify which elements of rate structure, billing transparency or regulatory oversight may need adjustment to address affordability concerns.
Details from the inquiry are developing and may evolve as the commission gathers testimony and public input. The public hearing will provide the first concentrated opportunity for regulators, utilities and residents to engage directly on the causes and consequences of recent bill increases.
