Despite Successfully Navigating Effects of Pandemic, Gas Utility Customer Satisfaction Remains Lukewarm, J.D. Power Finds

Increasing Communications Key to Boosting Overall Satisfaction

With the price of natural gas increasing in the past year and utilities shifting away from billing forgiveness, price satisfaction is the lowest it has been in since 2016, according to the J.D. Power 2022 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. Specifically, price satisfaction is 677, down from a pre-pandemic level of 688 in 2019.

“In an effort to counteract the satisfaction with natural gas price increase, gas utility providers can elevate satisfaction through effective customer communications,” said Mark Spalinger, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “Utility companies that communicate pricing programs, ways to save and usage awareness tend to have higher satisfaction. Effective communication is only part of the equation. Along with increasing prices, we also see an increase in customers contacting their utility and the majority are using digital channels which are highly satisfying. Continuing to enhance and optimize the website and mobile app experience will help boost overall satisfaction.”

Study Rankings

• East Large Segment: PSE&G
• East Midsize Segment: Elizabethtown Gas (for an eighth consecutive year)
• Midwest Large Segment: DTE Energy (for a third consecutive year)
• Midwest Midsize Segment: Atmos Energy
• South Large Segment: Piedmont Natural Gas
• South Midsize Segment: TECO Peoples Gas (for a 10^th consecutive year)
• West Large Segment: Southwest Gas (for a third consecutive year)
• West Midsize Segment: Cascade Natural Gas

See the rank charts for each region at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2022180.

The 2022 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 57,239 online interviews conducted from January 2022 through October 2022 among residential customers of the 84 largest gas utility brands across the United States, which represent more than 64.6 million households.

For more information about the Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-gas-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

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