(UNDATED) – The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is extending the power shut off moratorium. This means customers struggling to pay their energy bills in Indiana will have 45 more days to figure things out before a power shut off.
The disconnection moratorium was going to end June 30, but it now ends on August 14.
Additionally, the IURC also denied Indiana’s gas and electric companies’ request to increase costs in an effort to recover lost revenue from the coronavirus pandemic.
Ten companies, including Indianapolis Power & Light Co. and Duke Energy Inc., filed the request in May. They wanted to charge customers for all “bad debt expense incurred” associated with an executive order that has suspended disconnections for nonpayment.
The IURC also deferred the joint utility petitioners’ request related to increased operations and maintenance expenses until it can be evaluated more thoroughly.
the National Federation of Independent Business, the state’s leading small business organization, applauds today’s decision by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to reject 10 utilities request to charge customers for electricity they did not use during the pandemic.
The utilities had argued that they needed to recover millions of dollars in lost revenue. Today’s decision, which was unanimous, will save struggling Indiana small businesses across the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“This is terrific news for the already battered small businesses of Indiana. The last thing they need is for their utilities to hammer them with rate increases for power they didn’t use during the shutdown,” said Barbara Quandt, NFIB State Director in Indiana. “It’s understandable to charge for a service. However, to ask small business owners to pay for something they didn’t use at a time when they’re barely surviving just adds insult to injury.”
