Michigan public power utility Traverse City Light & Power earned high marks in its 2025 Residential and Commercial Customer Satisfaction Study, conducted by GreatBlue Research, with results 10-15 percentage points above national public power averages, it said on Aug. 13.
"These strong scores come during a period of significant changes in TCLP’s programs, rates, and organizational focus — and reflect the trust and patience customers have shown, particularly as TCLP works to expand its fiber internet service citywide," the utility said.
The survey found that 94.4% of residential and 98.1% of commercial customers are satisfied with TCLP’s services overall. Customers also overwhelmingly recognized TCLP as a trusted community partner and praised TCLP for affordable rates, reliable service, and responsive outage restoration.
Key highlights from the 2025 survey include:
• Affordability: Around 90% of customers are satisfied with the affordability of TCLP’s electric service, ranking the utility well above state and national public power averages.
• Reliability: Nearly three-quarters of residential and over three-fifths of commercial customers rated TCLP’s electric service reliability as “excellent.”
• Outage Response: Over 90% of customers value TCLP’s responsiveness during outages, with significant improvement in “excellent” ratings among residential customers since 2021.
• Customer Service: More than 80% of residential and 90% of commercial customers reported satisfaction with recent interactions, placing TCLP well above national benchmarks.
• Innovation: Two-thirds of residential and three-quarters of commercial customers view TCLP as innovative in energy and telecom solutions. Interest in TCLP's expanding fiber internet service remains strong, with three-fifths of customers expressing intent to switch if available citywide.
“These results affirm that our customers value the work we’re doing to keep energy clean, affordable, reliable, and forward-looking — even during a time of significant changes in our programs, rates, and organizational focus,” said Brandie Ekren, Executive Director of TCLP. “Many customers have been patient as we work toward expanding TCLP Fiber citywide, and their continued trust in our ability to deliver is something I’m particularly proud of. Guided by our Strategic Plan, we will use these insights to strengthen the customer experience further and deliver on our commitments.”
Looking ahead, TCLP will conduct a deeper analysis of the full survey findings to identify specific opportunities to advance its Strategic Plan priorities — including:
• Modernizing its customer portal and mobile tools to improve accessibility and engagement.
• Promoting underutilized energy efficiency incentives to help customers save money and energy.
• Expanding fiber internet access to strengthen community connectivity and economic development.
TCLP is a municipally owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to Traverse City and surrounding areas.
