MERRILLVILLE — Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has approved of a rate hike for NIPSCO beginning Jan. 1.

The decision follows an extensive regulatory review and public input process, which began with NIPSCO’s original proposal in November 2018 and has resulted in a balanced outcome for customers.

“New rates are anticipated to remain in line with the national average as we focus on continuing to better serve customers now and into the future,” said NIPSCO President Violet Sistovaris.

An average NIPSCO residential electric customer will see an overall increase of approximately $6 per month. The utility had been seeking a hike of $11 per month.

The change will be phased in across two steps — Jan. 1 and March 1, 2020.

Included within the overall bill change will be a decrease in the monthly customer charge – the flat monthly cost associated with serving customers regardless of their usage – from $14 per month, down to $13.50 per month.

The change for individual commercial and industrial customers will vary depending on usage patterns, but on average, rates for overall commercial and smaller industrial customers will also increase less than NIPSCO’s original proposal.

The last change in NIPSCO’s base electric rates was made in 2016.

Primary drivers for the increase include investments in upgrading electric infrastructure, environmental upgrades and a shift in the way some large industrial customers will obtain electricity in the future.

With the change in rates, NIPSCO remains focused on improving service through investments to minimize outages, provide better overall response and information to customers when outages occur and help customers save energy and money.

NIPSCO reminds customers who may be experiencing difficulty with their bill – regardless of their income – to learn about what options may be available to them at nipsco.com/paymentassistance.

Additionally, customers can learn about programs and incentives to be more energy efficient at nipsco.com/save.