NIPSCO's business office in Gary will close permanently Dec. 23. The company said a steep decline in customer visits and in-person transactions in recent years led to the decision.

 “The subset of our customers in the communities of Gary, Hammond and Merrillville who may have sought assistance from the business office prior to the pandemic became acquainted with NIPSCO’s easy-to-use, convenient online tools, including our website and new mobile app to make payments and manage their accounts,” said George Dice, NiSource vice president of customer care centers, in a press release.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, customers primarily visited the Gary location to make in-person payments and to ask questions about their accounts. NIPSCO’s analysis of customer usage trends shows more area customers are using online tools to pay their bills. Those seeking help are increasingly turning to the company’s recently released ChatBot and online chat services.

Customers still wishing to pay their NIPSCO bills in person can visit an area pay station, of which there are 16 locations within 10 miles of the Gary office. Customers can also pay their bills by mail or by check on NIPSCO.com. Other payment options include setting up autopay, using NIPSCO’s mobile app, or contacting NIPSCO’s payment processing partner Paymentus over the phone.

The 16 customer service employees at the Gary office will have the opportunity to join NIPSCO’s nearby Merrillville office.

NIPSCO will continue to hub their major gas and electric local operating offices in Gary. Those offices employ about 200 people.

NIPSCO is Indiana’s largest national gas distribution company and the second-largest electric distribution company. They serve about 859,000 natural gas and 483,000 electric customers across 32 counties in Indiana. The company’s headquarters are in Merrillville.