[ANDYT]

MY NAME IS ANDY.

I WORK FOR A NATURAL GAS SUPPLIER.

i do not recommend signing up for any fixed rate plan on your NIPSCO gas service,because you have no control over your price,and there is a cancellation fee,usually $150.
when the rates historically drop in April back down to .75,youll still be paying that higher price.

NIPSCO HAS a PLAN CALLED THE PPS PLAN THAT GIVE YOU A FIXED RATE,BUT YOU PAY AN ADDITIONAL FEE,i believe it is $9.99 a month.
if you dont use any gas,you still get hit for $9.99.

what i recommend is a monthly program available to NIPSCO customers until January that freezes your rate at $1.39.
this program has no contract,no cancellation fee.if the rates on the natural gas open market crash below $1.39(which i seriously doubt),you can cancel right out with no fee.

after January,if the rate changes,you are notified 45 days before you use that month's gas supply.

for example,if the March rate is going to be below $1.39 on the gas market,you are notified in January if the rate changes,so you can cancel out of the program.

if interested in this program,email me,and ill give you the information necessary to enroll.

the doorknockers that you discuss work for a company called US Energy.they are right now being sued by the state of Illinois,and in a class action suit as well for fraud.

if these doorknockers see your gas bill,they will write your account number down,then go get your meter number off of your actual meter on the house,and slam you with another supplier on your bill,at a inflated rate.

DO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE SEE YOUR GAS BILL!!!!

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=54181.64

NIPSCO seeks 15% rate hike

Associated Press

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is seeking a pair of rate hikes that could boost residential utility bills nearly 15 percent by 2010.

Representatives of the Merrillville-based utility told the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Friday that the rate increases are needed to cover increased operating and maintenance costs, and to bring the Sugar Creek generating facility in Terre Haute on line.

Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., who opposes the increases, said customers deserve a rate cut.

"In a time like this, where people are paying $4 for a gallon of gas and people losing their homes and jobs, it's ridiculous for a company to be asking for any increase," he told the IURC.

Last month, McDermott and LaPorte County attorney Shaw Friedman announced their intent to oppose NIPSCO's proposed rate increase before the IURC.

Hearings on the case will start on Jan. 6 with a public hearing set for sometime early in the year. The IURC will make the final ruling on the rates, and NIPSCO will receive a final decision in late 2009 or early 2010.

NIPSCO spokesman Nick Meyer said the proposed rate structure reflects the cost to serve each customer group. Increases will likely be lower among commercial and industrial customers.

"With residential customers, there's a lot more costs associated with servicing and transmission," Meyer said.

The Citizens Action Coalition will begin combing through NIPSCO's more than 1,000-page petition next week, said Jerry Polk, the lawyer representing the coalition in the rate case.

[SDave]

NIPSCO set the September price at 93 cents....

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/27784534.html

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50119.41

County to fight NIPSCO increases
Commissioners instead want a rate reduction.

Craig Davison
For The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - The La Porte County Board of Commissioners plan to intervene in a NIPSCO desire to raise electric rates.

The new rate would increase the cost of monthly utility bills for the average residential customer by 15.5 percent.

Commissioners President Bill Hager, D-Michigan City, said county attorneys have successfully fought the electric company on rate and service in the past.

"Let me assure residents we are committed to fighting this tooth-and-nail," Hager said.

NIPSCO filed its case with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Aug. 29. This is NIPSCO's first base rate request in 20 years.

The rate increase takes place in two steps.

The first step, if approved by the IURC, may go into effect in late 2009 or early 2010, and would include a 2.7 percent base rate increase to cover operating and maintenance costs. The second step, which would not go into effect until mid-2010, would include an additional 9 percent increase for the acquisition of the Sugar Creek Generating Station.

For the average residential customer, the first step would increase monthly bills by $7.24. The second step would increase average monthly rates by another $5.90, for a total possible increase of $13.14 a month.

The second step would not begin until about June of 2010 because the Sugar Creek Generating Station, purchased by NIPSCO earlier this year, is under contract to provide power outside of NIPSCO service area until that time, said Nick Meyer, manager of NIPSCO Communications. The company can't charge customers for service they aren't receiving, he said.

"For the sake of businesses and residents in La Porte County, we will go to the mat to force a rate reduction from NIPSCO," he said.

[JHeath]

Given the recent discussions on gasoline prices, which direction do you think natural gas costs will head?

[Ang]

Our people here say the prices are going to get higher as winter progresses.

[Southsider2k12]

The trend is up, that is for sure.

[ANDYT]

The trend is up, that is for sure.

dont sign up with any supplier ,just ride out the open market which is where NIPSCO obtains your gas supply from.

i wouldnt lock in any lower with any supplier more than a buck and make sure there is no cancellation fee.

[SDave]

dont sign up with any supplier ,just ride out the open market which is where NIPSCO obtains your gas supply from.

i wouldnt lock in any lower with any supplier more than a buck and make sure there is no cancellation fee.

ANDYT, Did you get my PM?

[SDave]

NIPSCO set the price at 80 cents for October

[southyards]

Here's a quote from the South Bend Tribune of 10/7/08:

"Your home heating bill this winter could be a little higher than it was last year.

The Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said today that customers could see a 10 to 20 percent rise in their bills, assuming normal winter temperatures.

That means, over the course of the winter heating season — Nov. 1 to March 31 — the average residential customer could expect to pay about $906. This compares with about $756 for a typical customer using the same amount during the last winter heating season."

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=47541.63

Commissioners take stand against NIPSCO rate hike

Joseph Malan
For The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - The La Porte County Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday opposing a 16 percent electric-rate hike proposed by NIPSCO.

Commissioner Bill Hager, D-La Porte, said the sizeable rate increase is being used to recover $28.8 million in losses from the Sugar Creek generating station in Terre Haute, Ind. The station is not expected to generate power for customers until June 1, 2010.

"(NIPSCO) has to pay for more mistakes," Hager said, "and I don't think the taxpayers should pay for it."

The company filed an electric base-rate case with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on May 28. According to NIPSCO spokesman Nick Meyer, the purpose of the case was to establish a two-step process to recover funds from the losses.

The first step is increasing electric rates to "recover increased operating and maintenance costs." The second step is designed to help the company recover from the losses that have resulted from operating at Sugar Creek.

According to the resolution, the commissioners suggested NIPSCO sell the Sugar Creek facility "if it insists on recovering the plant's costs from ratepayers before power is provided to them." The board also suggested NIPSCO build a new power-generating facility, preferably in La Porte County, to ease the burden of all energy customers in the region.

Meyer contended it will cost NIPSCO much more to build a new facility rather than continue to operate Sugar Creek. Secondly, although a new station might be built in the future, he said it would take a lot of time, effort and money to decide where the new facility would be built.

"It isn't necessarily in the best interest of all customers to build a facility in La Porte County," Meyer said.

The company is constantly reviewing proposals to decide whether to pursue more power via wind-generating stations, he continued, It also has purchased 100 Megawatts of wind power for customers.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=51490.05

Higher NIPSCO bills on the way

Craig Davison
For The News-Dispatch

MERRILLVILLE - Higher than usual natural gas prices during the summer have contributed to a rise in prices for NIPSCO customers this month.

NIPSCO announced this week residential customers will see a 7.4 percent increase in natural gas costs when compared to November. A typical customer using 150 therms of natural gas in December should expect to see a $13.51 increase in the bill.

Nick Meyer, NIPSCO manager of communications, said the company purchases and stores natural gas during the summer months, when costs are traditionally lower than in the winter. NIPSCO is still using a lot of natural gas purchased in July, he added, when prices were actually higher this year.

But the company's projections for how much winter heating will cost this season has slightly decreased, Meyer said.

In October, NIPSCO announced the winter heating season will cost 10 to 20 percent more than last winter. That figure has been decreased by 3 percent, Meyer said.

He said the high prices of natural gas bought during the summer were factored into the October forecast.

Customers worried about high winter heating bills can enroll in the company's budget plan, which bills users for a consistent amount throughout the year, Meyer said.

People also can winterize homes, seal leaks or cracks around their homes and invest in more energy-efficient appliances, he said.

[JHeath]

Didn't we predict this months ago? I wonder how much higher it will go in Jan & Feb?

[JHeath]

Anyone seen their new bills? Holy cow...

[Southsider2k12]

Anyone seen their new bills? Holy cow...

Yeah, I can't wait to see how they screw me on the budget plan.

[Roger Kaputnik]

My budget plan has the correction bill in May. Usually the winter bills go pretty high, but it sure seems that the budget bill is busting my energy budget! I have heard of some whoppers--one lady in a Cape Cod had a bill almost 500 USD. Sheesh. And she lives alone!

[JHeath]

Ours was estimated. I think I'll check the meters when I get home, just to see how far off they might be, and to help prepare myself for next month's bill. Ugh.

[Homey]

Mine was estimated as well. It has been for several months now...I know because there aren't any footprints in the snow I know I won't have any credit coming back in May from my budget plan...this winter has blown it for me

[Roger Kaputnik]

Mine was estimated as well. It has been for several months now...I know because there aren't any footprints in the snow I know I won't have any credit coming back in May from my budget plan...this winter has blown it for me

You don't think the new snow might'a covered 'em up?