CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With Earth Day upon us, 40 US utilities are being celebrated as 2017 Environmental Champions. This designation is based on a nationwide study of nearly 58,000 customers among 130 of the largest residential gas and electric utility providers. The study scores an Environmental Dedication Index that averages 675 for the industry (on a 1,000-point scale). These findings are from Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential, a Cogent Reports™ study by Market Strategies International.
“Earth Day is a great time to recognize companies that have shown dedication to the environment,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president at Market Strategies International. “This is particularly important for utilities wanting to be part of the future energy landscape, as their customers are saying that environmental stewardship is one of the most desirable utility brand traits.”
The Environmental Dedication Index is based on consumer ratings of five critical environmental attributes. These environmental scores provide a key performance benchmark for utilities. When utilities score high, 700 or higher, on the Environmental Dedication Index, consumer demand doubles for the over 20 utility programs that help consumers save energy and support the environment. The industry average of 675 reflects a 5-point decrease from last year, and electric-only utilities tend to score lower (665) than natural gas utilities (684). These findings show that the industry still has work to do in showcasing the benefits of their environmental initiatives.
“Clearly, consumers value utility environmental efforts. Utility Environmental Champions are being rewarded through higher trust, reputation, advocacy and overall satisfaction,” added Oberle. “For example, utilities that enjoy high awareness of efforts such as low-emission fleets, supporting natural landscapes, energy-efficiency programs and activities to limit environmental impact of their services score a significant 60 points higher on satisfaction and 80 points higher on brand trust. And environmental stewardship is the number one cause customers want their utility to support.”
Market Strategies would like to congratulate the utilities listed below for being designated by their customers as having exceptional dedication to the environment.
2017 Utility Environmental Champions: Alagasco, Cascade Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy–South, Citizens Energy, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Consumers Energy, CPS Energy, DTE Energy, Florida Power & Light, Georgia Power, Idaho Power, Indianapolis Power & Light, Kentucky Utilities, Louisville Gas & Electric, MidAmerican Energy, Nashville Electric Service, National Fuel Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas, NW Natural, OG&E, Oklahoma Natural Gas, Pacific Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Portland General Electric, PPL Electric Utilities, Puget Sound Energy, Questar Gas, RG&E, Salt River Project, SDG&E, Seattle City Light, SMUD, SoCalGas, South Jersey Gas Company, Southern California Edison, Southwest Gas, TECO Peoples Gas, Vectren, Virginia Natural Gas, and Xcel Energy–West.
About the Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Residential study
Cogent Reports conducted surveys among 57,707 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 130 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts) between Q2 2016 and Q1 2017. The sample design uses US census data and strict quotas to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity. Utilities within the same region and of the same type (e.g., electric-only providers) are given equal weight in order to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. Market Strategies will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Market Strategies International
Market Strategies International is one of the largest market research firms in the US and is a leading provider of research and consulting services to utility management. We blend primary research with data from our syndicated, benchmarking and self-funded studies as well as Big Data to help our clients grow their businesses and brands. Market Strategies’ research specialties include brand, communications, CX, product development and segmentation. Our syndicated products, known as Cogent Reports, are the energy sector’s industry-leading source and diagnostic tool designed to transform how clients can maximize revenue potential, and identify issues and topics that will shape their business models and the future direction of the industry.
Founded in 1989, Market Strategies is one of the largest market research firms in the world, with offices in the US, Canada and China and additional industry expertise in consumer & retail, financial services, healthcare, technology and telecommunications. Read Market Strategies’ blog at FreshMR, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
