|
NIPSCO Choice Home | Residential Customers | Business Customers
Making an Informed Decision | Gas Suppliers | Contact a Supplier
Request More Information
NIPSCO Choice
Making an Informed Decision
How to Choose | Rates/Tariffs | Regulatory History | News & Info
News & Info
The Future of the Natural Gas Industry
If you could look into a crystal ball and know what the future holds, life would be simple. When considering future of deregulation in the natural gas industry, things are a little more complicated. It's full of risks and a lot of learning by trial and error. From California to Connecticut, states across the nation are testing the water of natural gas deregulation.
So far, the transition to competition in the natural gas industry has been achieved in a relatively orderly fashion. As a result residential customers, business customers and the industry as a whole have benefited from this movement. NIPSCO's pilot program, NIPSCO Choice, was successfully implemented in St. Joseph County last year. Because of its success, NIPSCO picked up the pace on the program's implementation. Beginning April 1, 1999 everyone will be able to choose their natural gas supplier.
As NIPSCO continues to strive for ways to stay competitive in this ever-changing market, quality services and more options for customers will become a standard business practice. Total deregulation of the natural gas industry if a few years away, but NIPSCO believes that they are moving in the right direction.
"Giving customers what they want has been our motto for years," said Peggy Landini, NIPSCO's Vice President of Commercial Operations. "When they said they wanted more control over their energy costs, we moved in that direction. As we head into the year 2000 and beyond, we will keep listening to what our customers tell us and do everything in our power to deliver."
Electric Deregulation: A Look at the Future
Two midwestern states lead the way in terms of electric deregulation: Illinois and Michigan. For residents of Indiana, the opportunity to choose an electric utility is three to five years away. This wait for electric deregulation is by no means a bad thing. there are actually more benefits to waiting because it gives utilities, like NIPSCO, the chance to see what worked for some states and what didn't for others.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) believes the change to a competitive electric industry can improve economic efficiency in the following ways:
It will foster competition.
Customers will be able to choose from a wider range of services.
Pricing of the individual components will be clearer and will better reflect the economic cost of providing services.
The IURC still has many questions to be answered and concerns to be addressed before moving to a deregulated electric industry. The likelihood of total deregulation is not in the immediate future. NIPSCO agrees that moving slowly in this process in this process is in the best interest of their customers.
For more information on electric deregulation, visit the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor's (OUCC) Web site at www.state.in.us/oucc or call them at 1-888-441-2494.
| 
