Higher Monthly Bills Contribute to Decline in Customer Satisfaction with Electric Utilities, J.D. Power Finds

Overall satisfaction among electric utility residential customers declines 18 points to 713 (on a 1,000-point scale) from a year ago, marking the third consecutive year of decreasing satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. More than half (58%) of electric utility customers say they were not aware of rate increases and as the average electric utility bill is up to $178 per month, satisfaction with price decreased 33 points to 627.

“Utilities need to communicate why a rate increase is necessary and what the benefit is to customers to help mitigate some of the negative perceptions behind the rising costs,” said John Hazen, managing director of utility intelligence at J.D. Power. “Energy efficiency awareness, reliability improvements, community outreach and participation in local events are the feel-good stories utility providers should lead with to help increase overall satisfaction.”

Study Results

The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East Large Segment: PSE&G for a second consecutive year
• East Midsize Segment: Delmarva Power for a second consecutive year
• Midwest Large Segment: MidAmerican Energy for a second consecutive year
• Midwest Midsize Segment: WPS
• South Large Segment: Georgia Power for a second consecutive year
• South Midsize Segment: EPB for an eighth consecutive year
• West Large Segment: SRP for a 22^nd consecutive year
• West Midsize Segment: Clark Public Utilities for a 16^th consecutive year
• Cooperatives Segment: Jackson EMC

To view the rank charts for each segment, visit http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2023178.

The 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 104,801 online interviews conducted from January through November 2023 among residential customers of the 149 largest electric utility brands in the United States, which represent more than 105 million households.

For more information about the Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/electric-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 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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