J.D. Power Launches Certification Program to Identify Electric Utility Sustainability Leaders That Address Climate Change

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Becomes First Utility to Achieve Certification

J.D. Power, a global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence, today announced the launch of a new certification program to recognize electric utilities that provide superior customer engagement, awareness and advocacy associated with their climate sustainability goals and plans. The first electric utility to receive the J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader designation is Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

The exclusive J.D. Power sustainability certification program draws on the company’s deep data and real-world experience analytics to evaluate electric utilities on two criteria: 1) ability to build customer awareness for and engagement regarding climate sustainability programs and goals; 2) an operational performance assessment focused on climate change mitigation, resilience and adaptability and leadership efforts. The J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader program recognizes SMUD for exceeding industry benchmarks of delivering high levels of customer engagement and leading sustainability plans to address climate change.

“Electric utilities are going to need the support of their customers if they want to meet zero-carbon goals, and that process begins and ends with strong customer engagement and awareness for proactive sustainability programs,” said Andrew Heath, managing director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “While there are dozens of rating systems, frameworks and reporting guidelines, none of them focus in-depth on the customer perspective on sustainability as a means to inform leadership strategy.”

“We’re proud to be leading the way toward a carbon-free economy and honored with this J.D. Power certification,” said Paul Lau, SMUD CEO and general manager. “Our goals are to achieve ambitious sustainability results, while partnering with our customers to do the same. We appreciate the recognition of the effort put into our comprehensive zero-carbon plan. We look forward to achieving great things on behalf of our entire community.”

To qualify for the J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader program, electric utilities must rank among the top performers in the Sustainability Index and in a proprietary voice of the customer survey sent to a utility’s customers. In addition, qualifying brands must pass a comprehensive evaluation of performance relative to recommended operational best practices conducted by J.D. Power.

Once certified, a brand is permitted to promote its achievement with marketing tools such as a J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader program emblem and online marketing collateral. Certified brands also are listed on www.jdpower.com/business for consumers to review.

For more information about the J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader program, please visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/sustainability-leader-certification-disclaimer.

To view the online press release, please visit http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2022045.

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 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.

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

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