INDIANAPOLIS — When a utility company in Indiana like Duke Energy wants to raise its rates, it needs to go through the state.
Part of that process includes opportunities for you, the customer, to speak up.
Kerwin Olson, with the Citizens Action Coalition, said it can be a powerful thing when the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission hears directly from consumers at public hearings.
"Rarely do they have the opportunity to hear from customers," Kerwin said.
Two hearings are coming up:
- Bloomington: June 20 at 6 p.m. - Monroe Convention Center, Olcott Young Room, 302 S. College Ave.
- Fishers: June 27 at 5 p.m. - Hamilton East Public Library, East/Center Rooms, 5 Municipal Drive.
Consumers who wish to submit written comments for the case record may do so via the OUCC’s website, by email at uccinfo@oucc.IN.gov, or by mail at:
Public Comments
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC)
115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 SOUTH
Indianapolis, IN 46204
How much might rates go up?
Electric bill charges can be sorted into three parts.
There is the customer charge, which is a flat amount; energy charges, which is your usage; and trackers. Trackers are temporary credits or charges that can change a few times a year.
Duke Energy is asking the state to increase its base rate, which includes the flat customer charge and energy charges. The customer portion would rise from $10.54 to $13.70.
So how much could this cost you?
It depends on who you ask.
Duke estimates customers using 1,000 kWh could see their bill go up $27.63 a month over two steps.
Step 1, an increase of $20.43, is currently estimated to happen in March 2025. Step 2 would be an additional $7.20 beginning in March 2026.
But the CAC thinks it'll be more money — around $42 dollars a month.
"Here's a company making billions. Billions of dollars in profit, asking to increase bills on everyday Hoosiers by over $40 a month, and we think that's, that's not OK," Kerwin said.
The difference in their math comes down to the trackers.
Olson said the CAC includes trackers in their number bringing them to $42 a month.
Duke's prediction excludes trackers, since those are separate charges that can change.
Angeline Protogere, with Duke Energy, said, for instance, fuel costs are adjusted four times a year, and they're adjusted both up and down. She added that the company knows customers expect them to do everything they can to manage bills.
"Since 2020, we have kept day-to-day operating costs flat," Protogere said.
To help customers manage their electric bills, Duke Energy is "proposing time-of-use rates, where customers can shift some of their power use to times of day when energy is less expensive."