End of Billing Forgiveness, Natural Gas Price Hikes Set Stage for Lower Satisfaction

As customer satisfaction with gas utilities reaches an all-time high in 2021, rising natural gas prices and a shift away from billing forgiveness may affect future satisfaction levels, according to the J.D. Power 2021 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today.

“Residential gas utility providers did a phenomenal job of keeping customers satisfied through the pandemic with increased communication, billing forgiveness programs and conservation tips,” said Mark Spalinger, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “Looking forward to these next 12 months with natural gas prices and customer usage increasing, utilities must continue to help customers manage their monthly usage and provide clear information regarding billing to avoid satisfaction declines.”

Study Results

• East Large Segment: New Jersey Natural Gas (for a seventh consecutive year)
• East Midsize Segment: Elizabethtown Gas (for a seventh consecutive year)
• Midwest Large Segment: DTE Energy (for a second consecutive year)
• Midwest Midsize Segment: WPS
• South Large Segment: Texas Gas Service
• South Midsize Segment: TECO Peoples Gas (for a ninth consecutive year)
• West Large Segment: Southwest Gas (for a second consecutive year)
• West Midsize Segment: Intermountain Gas Company (for a second consecutive year)

See the rank charts for each region at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2020167.

The 2021 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 60,096 online interviews conducted from January 2021 through October 2021 among residential customers of the 85 largest gas utility brands across the United States, which represent more than 62.9 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 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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