Rising Gas Utility Business Prices Cause Lowest Overall Satisfaction in Five Years, J.D. Power Finds

New Jersey Natural Gas, MidAmerican Energy, Spire and Southwest Gas Rank Highest in Respective Regions

Satisfaction of businesses with their gas utility is 802 (on a 1,000-point scale), a decline of 6 points from 2022, the lowest satisfaction score since 2018, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. The rising of natural gas prices translates to rising costs for customers, as the average annual cost for gas utility businesses is $2,033, an increase of $37 from 2022, with the biggest increases in the West (+$439) and Midwest (+$149).

“Gas utility companies are not seizing the opportunity to increase satisfaction amid a declining economy,” said Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “As prices continue to increase, this is an opportunity for these companies to provide better communications to customers. Customers need to see less about paperless billing and more about value such as infrastructure improvements, reliability, switching expensive metal pipes for more reliable plastic. Explaining to customers what they are getting in addition to their gas will help drive awareness to the work utility companies are doing and increase overall satisfaction.”

Study Rankings

The industry results for the 2023 study are reported across four U.S. geographic regions: East, Midwest, South and West. The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East: New Jersey Natural Gas
• Midwest: MidAmerican Energy
• South: Spire
• West: Southwest Gas (for a fourth consecutive year)

See the rank charts for each region at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2023139.

Now in its 19th year, the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study measures business customer satisfaction with gas utility companies in four regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Each of the 59 brands included in the study serve more than 25,000 business customers, representing more than 4.4 million business customers in total. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): safety and reliability (22%); billing and payment (17%); corporate citizenship (17%); price (16%); communications (14%); and customer contact (14%).

The study is based on responses from more than 8,890 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company. The study was fielded from January through September 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/gas-utility-business-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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