After multiple state legislators said utility affordability is a priority in the 2026 session, the Indiana House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications committee heard a bill dedicated to make electric utilities more affordable statewide.

 

House Bill 1002 — authored by state Rep. Alaina Shnokwiler, R-Noblesville — offers multiple solutions to rising electricity bills, including automatically placing residential ratepayers on budget billing and prohibiting utilities from disconnecting low-income customers' service during periods with extreme heat warnings. The bill also ties utility profits to performance metrics, including affordability and service resotration, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

 

The legislation would require utilities to put all ratepayers on a budget billing plan on July 1, according to the Indiana General Assembly website.

 

Caryl Auslander, principal and founder at Torchbearer Public Affairs, testified in support of House Bill 1002, but she believes that the language can be strengthened to achieve better reliability and affordability outcomes and enhance savings. Auslander represented Advanced Energy United during her testimony.

Auslander recommended creating a peak load reduction metric, which she said would strengthen long-term affordability outcomes.

“Electricity prices are most expensive during the times of day where demand is highest,” Auslander said. “If utilities were incentivized to materially reduce the amount of power that their customers need during those times, actual savings for consumers would be compounded.”

Auslander also said that a “significant amount of workload” falls to the IURC with House Bill 1002, and she encouraged the committee to consider whether the commission has “adequate resources” to develop and implement multi-year rate case reporting requirements.