The report will enable subscribers to:

Understand Impact
Explore how a protracted scenario of low consumer sentiment and other deteriorating economic metrics could shift customer focus toward “saving money” as a priority indicator for customers.

Improve Your Communication
Explore the preemptive strategies other utilities are using to increase communication intensity, positively impact customer awareness and opinion, and minimize negative effects on brand trust.

Drive Program Performance
Identify why customers are likely to adopt utility programs and rate options that promise savings and how the perceived benefits and performance of those programs affect product experience ratings.

Economic Factors

• Impact of inflation on customer financial condition
• Difficulty in paying varying household expenses (energy, food, housing, etc.)
• Impact of inflation on customer behavior, decision-making and motivation to seek financial assistance

Customer Focus Factors

• Utility providing reasonable rates for delivered service
• Product experience factors
• Ease of using different rate options
• Rate options are performing as promised

Service Satisfaction Factors

• Manageability of monthly bill
• Information for lowering energy consumption provided within bill
• Ability to pay bill using preferred payment method
• Effort for paying bill is reasonable
• Time required to pay bill is reasonable
• Bill contains accurate and useful information
• Bill is easy to understand

Rate Options & Experience

• Rate selected by customers
• Different rate selections customers would prefer (net metering, demand rate, load cycling, etc.)
• Customers’ awareness of utilities’ different rate offerings
• Likelihood of switching rate program
• Customers’ trust of utility setting fair and reasonable rates
• Benefits customer would support with a 2%–10% rate increase

• 70,000+ residential electric, combination and natural gas customers
• 140 electric, natural gas and combination utilities
• Web-based survey
• Sample design: US census data and strict quotas used to ensure a trustworthy and representative sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, income and race

Publication Date: Report will be delivered with customized utility-specific data and insights two weeks after order 

Deliverables:

• Detailed, customized report with analysis of national and utility-specific data
• Also available as a separate custom offering: Macroeconomic Landscape Assessment looks at economic trends and migration patterns for your state and service area to better address the shifting needs of residential utility customers