Public power utilities' commitment to reliable, affordable, community-focused service is generally, but not always, recognized in higher customer satisfaction compared to other utilities and industries.
Electric Utilities on Par with Wireless Phone Services
The American Customer Satisfaction Index benchmarks how customers like the service and goods they receive across various industries. While the index mostly measures satisfaction among investor-owned utilities, energy utilities rank in the middle of various common service industries, and behind the average for all industries measured.
| Industry | ACSI Average, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Federal government | 69.7 |
| Subscription TV/cable | 70 |
| Internet service providers | 71 |
| U.S. Postal Service | 74 |
| Energy utilities | 75 |
| Wireless phone service | 76 |
| Average across all industries | 77 |
| Fast food | 79 |
| Banks | 80 |
| Full service restaurants | 84 |
Public Power Usually Outshines
In the J.D. Power U.S. Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, the public power utilities that participated scored on average 25 points higher than IOUs. A public power utility earned the highest score in four of the five regional segments that included public power. SRP had the highest overall score, leading the West Large segment for the 23rd year in a row.
| Midwest Midsize | Omaha Public Power District, NE | First |
| South Midsize | EPB, TN | First |
| West Large | Salt River Project, AZ | First |
| West Midsize | Anaheim Public Utilities, CA | First |
Bucking the Trend
While the ASCI and J.D. Power reports show a general downward trend in customer satisfaction, public power customers have been showing increased satisfaction with their utility, according to the Public Power Data Source. The biggest areas of increase from 2023 to 2024 were in how customers perceived their utility to be providing good service and value for the cost of electricity and maintaining modern and reliable infrastructure. Customers said public power utilities could improve their communication and customer service to become closer to their "ideal" utility.
| Area | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providing consistent and reliable electric service to customers | 73.4% | 72.7% | 76.0% |
| Helpful and knowledgeable staff | 67.6% | 65.5% | 70.0% |
| Maintaining reliable and modern infrastructure | 66.3% | 64.7% | 69.9% |
| Communicating with customers | 67.9% | 65.3% | 66.8% |
| Providing good service and value for the cost of electricity | 63.6% | 60.9% | 65.7% |
| Community involvement | 62.8% | 59.3% | 63.9% |
| Offering innovative programs and services | 61.2% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
