Customers Look at Utilities

Customers Look at Utilities

Jul 13 - Electric Perspectives

The economy, terrorism, and Iraq continue to dominate as primary customer concerns, according to Edison Electric Institute's (EEI'S) Fall 2003 National Residential Customer Monitor. Reflecting their larger economic concerns, customers' top energy-related concerns are cost, dependence on foreign fuels, and conservation.

American customers also feel blackouts could be avoided if companies would take steps to upgrade the electric infrastructure, something they don't feel very strongly that the industry is doing. But few customers are willing to pay more on their bills in order to fund these upgrades: 16 percent say they are very willing, while 44 percent are somewhat willing to pay 5 percent more on their monthly electric bill.

Customer satisfaction continued to hold steady compared with previous Monitors, with 78 percent reporting satisfaction with their electric service, and 54 percent giving their utilities 6 out of 7 points for customer service. Customers cite working to keep rates low as the highest driver for their satisfaction.

In terms of performance, customers gave high marks for reliable service, accurate billing, high-quality power, and courteous employees. More customers (66 percent) feel it is a bad idea to municipalize an investor-owned utility, and 61 percent favor deregulation and customer choice.

Conflicting views continue to surface in customers' beliefs about the environment and improving air quality. Sixty-eight percent feel air quality in America is worse than 30 years ago and 54 percent feel it will get worse in the future. But, when informed of utilities' efforts to reduce air pollution, 60 percent of customers agree that emissions from powerplants have dropped significantly since 1970.

For far more extensive news on the energy/power visit: http://www.energycentral.com .