(FORT WAYNE) - NIPSCO is now under investigation after Indiana utility regulators say the company improperly billed natural gas customers.
According to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, NIPSCO discovered problems with a "not-insignificant number" of gas meters across northern Indiana. The issue surfaced during the rollout of new technology on more than 870,000 meters designed to allow remote readings without meter readers in the field.
Regulators say NIPSCO issued bill credits after finding the discrepancies but failed to notify customers that anything was wrong. The investigation will require the utility to turn over more data so the state can verify who was affected and whether all billing errors have been corrected.
NIPSCO says it is cooperating fully, insists customer safety and accurate billing are top priorities, and says the discrepancies are not caused by the new automated metering system.
The investigation comes as natural gas bills climb -- state regulators approved rates roughly 35 percent higher than last December due to rising market costs.