WOWO EXCLUSIVE – KB talks Indiana Utility Rates with IURC Commissioner Andy Zay

FORT WAYNE, IND. (WOWO) The newly appointed chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), Andy Zay, outlined ongoing efforts to address utility affordability and customer service issues during an interview on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee.

Zay, who previously served as a state senator, assumed leadership of the IURC earlier this year and immediately inherited more than 120 ongoing cases. “Coming into the IURC, I came into an ongoing agency,” Zay said. “From day one, I had 120 to 130 cases that are ongoing and working. Throughout that, we’ve had what we’ve called an affordability crisis.”

The commission has launched a statewide listening tour aimed at gathering direct input from ratepayers. Zay noted that sessions will allow Hoosiers to provide feedback on their utility experiences, with one upcoming session in New Haven on April 6. “I want to hear from them directly what their customer service experience is,” Zay said. “Were they on hold for an hour? Were they on hold for 40 minutes? Did the customer service person answer your questions? Did they put you off?”

The IURC is currently conducting an investigative inquiry into the state’s five largest utilities — AES, Duke Energy, AEP, NIPSCO, and CenterPoint — with a focus on customer service, transparency, and billing practices. “It is clear to me that there were a few [utilities] that are doubling down, have really done the extra effort to reach out and work with their customers,” Zay said. “And there’s some that are struggling through that, whether it was new payment systems they put in or cutting down their customer service staffing.”

Zay emphasized that while the IURC’s work is largely long-term, spanning three to ten years, the investigative inquiry allows for more immediate action. “We’re diving into this 5% realm, where we can try and act quickly and see what short-term relief and short-term ideas we can come up with,” he said. Zay expects the inquiry to produce five to ten significant action steps, including measures aimed directly at utility accountability and internal commission operations.

The chairman also addressed questions about whether the IURC has historically been strict enough with utilities. “I don’t know that I would go there,” he said. “A lot of what we do is granted to us by statutory responsibility. But we’re looking for flexibility. We’re twisting and pushing a little bit harder to find the ways around or through that.”

He acknowledged the challenges presented by record numbers of customer complaints. “This year we’ll do more customer complaints than we have in the prior five years. It’s off the charts. My folks are asking for overtime. They’re asking to come in just to get the caseload management under control,” Zay said.

When asked about potential consequences for utilities that overcharge customers, Zay noted that specific cases remain under review. “By nature of the commission that I represent, it’s important for me to remain impartial on that,” he said. “But that’s certainly what we’re trying to get really out of this investigative inquiry.” He added that the inquiry could help narrow future formal investigations to specific areas such as transparency, billing issues, meters, or rate cases.

For residents unable to attend a listening session, Zay said they could submit feedback via email. “We do have an email address for the listening session specifically, so they can email any information or comments to that, and that will be added to the file for this investigative inquiry,” he said. The email address is IURCListeningSessions@urc.in.gov.

Zay described his transition from the state Senate to the IURC as a unique professional pivot. “We’re in a very unique time right now, which is honestly why I made the pivot to come over here,” he said. “We’re working through a time of increased demand like we’ve never seen in the history of the United States.”

The IURC chairman concluded that the commission is prepared to address utility concerns systematically. “We’re up to the challenge, and I’ve got some amazingly talented people here ready to step forward,” Zay said.

As the listening tour continues across Indiana, Zay said the IURC aims to compile customer feedback into actionable steps intended to improve both accountability and affordability within the state’s utility system.

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