NIPSCO Uses New Innovation to Help Customers Become More Energy Efficient

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Approximately 150,000 NIPSCO
customers will take part in an innovative energy-efficiency program – the NIPSCO
Home Energy Report – that provides gas and electric customers essential
information about their energy usage, ultimately helping to save energy, money
and protect the environment.

The report – being mailed this month – anonymously compares customers’ energy
use with that of similarly sized homes and demographics, employing the
peer-proof theory that people take action when they have comparative information
about what others are doing. Customers can view the past 12 months of their
energy usage, and compare and contrast their energy consumption and costs with
others in the same region.

The Home Energy Report is the latest step in NIPSCO’s ongoing focus to help
customers save energy and money, and it falls directly in-line with Indiana’s
long-term efforts to achieve measurable reductions in energy consumption across
the state.

“We’ve found that our customers are eager to make their homes more efficient and
save money, but they’re not always sure how to do it,” said Debora Owen,
executive director of customer service for NIPSCO. “These reports not only show
customers exactly how to achieve savings, but they have a proven track record
when it comes to motivating customers to become more energy efficient.”

According to Owen, the company believes an individual electric customer could
save approximately 275 kilowatt-hours annually simply through behavioral changes
and by taking advantage of the energy-efficiency tips offered in the quarterly
report. Collectively, customers who receive the report could save approximately
41,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually – enough to power more than 3,500
homes or remove more than 2,000 cars from the road.

By comparison, an individual natural gas customer could save approximately nine
therms per year. If every customer who receives the report used the suggested
tips, the total savings could result in a reduction of 1,350,000 therms -
equivalent to the amount of natural gas needed to provide heat and hot water for
approximately 1,500 homes for one year.

Customers are expected to save more than $7 million on their utility bills,
cumulatively, in the first year of the Home Energy Report program.

NIPSCO has partnered with OPOWER – an energy-efficiency software company that
works with utilities to meet their efficiency goals through effective customer
engagement – to design, prepare and deliver the Home Energy Reports. Using
behavioral science and cutting-edge data analytics, the OPOWER platform enables
utilities to connect with their customers in a highly targeted fashion,
motivating reductions in energy use and increased program participation.

As a proven energy efficiency resource with verified savings, OPOWER’s program
will help NIPSCO reach statewide energy efficiency goals of 2% by 2019.

For more information on other available programs and ways to save energy and
money, visit www.NIPSCO.com/SaveEnergy.

NIPSCO, with headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., is one of the nine energy
distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). With more than 712,000
natural gas customers and 457,000 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 3.8 million natural gas and electric customers
primarily in seven states. More information about NIPSCO is available at
www.NIPSCO.com.

SOURCE NIPSCO