NIPSCO.com Makes Reporting Streetlight Outages Easier

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., Jan. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Reporting a non-working
streetlight just became easier, thanks to a new online tool launched by Northern
Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

Customers noticing a streetlight that is broken or burned out can conveniently
visit www.NIPSCO.com/StreetlightOut and submit a request to have it fixed. An
interactive map identifies all of the streetlights owned or maintained by
NIPSCO. So, if a customer does not have the exact pole number, they still will
be able to search for the streetlight by address or location.

“The availability of this new tool is just one of the many ways we’re working to
continuously improve the services and support we provide for our customers,”
said Karl Stanley, vice president of commercial operations for NIPSCO. “More
importantly, the enhancements we’ve made to simplify reporting a non-working
streetlight help keep our communities safer.”

The new functionality, developed by iFactor Consulting, uses a combination of
NIPSCO’s geographic information system (GIS) and Microsoft Bing Maps.

When a streetlight is reported, NIPSCO receives an incident report that includes
all details related to the streetlight outage. The report contains such details
as the streetlight pole number, address, wattage and light type, as well as
information reported by the customer, including their name, contact information
and additional notes about the outage. With this information, NIPSCO can quickly
route the ticket to the appropriate department for repair. If the customer
provides an email address, NIPSCO will notify the customer once the streetlight
has been repaired.

The online tool also provides a status of the light, in case someone else has
already reported the outage. For those customers who are unable to access the
online tool, they can still call our 24-hour customer service center to report
the streetlight at 1-800-464-7726.

NIPSCO is the first utility in Indiana to offer this online application for
reporting streetlight outages.

iFactor Consulting develops software products and provides premier consulting
services to the utility industry. Its web and mobile utility customer
communications product suite includes Storm Center for online and mobile outage
communications and Notifi for proactive and interactive customer communications
using 2-way texts, email, voice, and smartphones. iFactor also offers
StreetLightOutages.com, a hosted solution for the management of outdoor light
repair requests. iFactor Consulting has a proven track record delivering leading
edge communications solutions for large and small utilities throughout North
America.

NIPSCO, with headquarters in Merrillville, Ind., is one of the 10 energy
distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). With over 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 atwww.nipsco.com.

SOURCE Northern Indiana Public Service Company