FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2003

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Larry Graham, Manager NIPSCO Communications & Community Relations (260) 439-1330

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - As part of Governor Joe Kernan's kickoff of "Weatherize Indiana Day" on Mon., October 27, 2003, Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) encourages all its customers to consider weatherization measures, many at no or low cost, to help control winter heating bills while also making homes more comfortable.

"While NIPSCO is expecting natural gas bills to be about the same as last year, natural gas costs remain higher than normal," said Larry Graham, NIPSCO Communications and Community relations manager. "By improving the energy efficiency of their homes, customers can help manage the cost of heating their homes this winter."

NIPSCO will be partnering with local agencies that currently administer weatherization funds by providing an additional $150,000 for home weatherization this winter. NIPSCO weatherization funds will allow for basic weatherization of 120 additional homes across its service territory this heating season.

NIPSCO lists important energy saving suggestions in our "99 Ways to Conserve Energy" booklet, which is available to customers who can request the booklet by visiting our Web site at www.nipsco.com or by calling 1-800-4NIPSCO (1-800-464-7726).

The following are just a few weatherization and conservation tips from NIPSCO:

• Make sure your home is well insulated. You can increase the comfort of your home while reducing your heating and cooling needs.

• Have your heating system checked by a qualified contractor. Furnaces that aren't working properly are often inefficient and can create serious health dangers from carbon monoxide.

• Change your furnace air filter often. Dirty air filters lower the efficiency of your furnace.

• Install an automatic setback thermostat. You can reduce the temperature while you're away from home and return the temperature to a comfortable level by the time you return.

• Check heat registers. Make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or other objects.

• Avoid heating or partially heating unused rooms. Shut registers and close unused rooms. Registers in upstairs rooms can often be partially closed since hot air rises.

• Open drapes and blinds during the day to allow sunlight to warm your home or business. Close them at night to help provide another layer of insulation and keep your home or business warmer.

• Keep the fireplace damper closed when not in use. Warm air will escape out of an open fireplace damper. Be sure the fire is out and the ashes are cold first.

• Purchase appliances with an ENERGY STAR^® rating. The rating means the Federal Department of Energy gives the appliance a high rating for energy efficiency, which equals energy savings for you.

• Water heaters use 21 percent of the energy consumed in an average home. Consider installing a water heater blanket and insulating hot water pipes.

• Turn down your water heater thermostat. At 120 degrees, or the medium-heat setting, your water heater will be more efficient and still provide enough hot water.

• Purchase a low-flow showerhead. On average, older showerheads use 6 gallons of water a minute. Low-flow showerheads use only 2½ gallons of water a minute.

NIPSCO, with headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., is one of the 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). With nearly 700,000 natural gas customers and 430,000 electric customers across the northern third of Indiana, NIPSCO is the largest natural gas distribution company, and the second largest electric distribution company, in the state. NiSource distribution companies serve 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers primarily in nine states. More information about NIPSCO is available at www.nipsco.com.