The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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24 DECEMBER 2016 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com BUSINESS OPERATIONS NEWS questions are measured as part of a dedicated safety and reliability factor. The study measures residential customer satisfaction with gas utility companies across six factors (in order of importance): safety and reliability; billing and payment; price; corporate citi- zenship; communications; and customer service. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale. Customer satisfaction with residential gas utilities averages 706 index points. While the overall scores for 2016 cannot be directly compared to previous years due to a new study model, the cur- rent industry-wide average score represents a 17-point[1] overall increase from 2015. This increase is driven primarily by customer satisfaction with price—as the cost of natural gas has remained low—and communications. Following are some of the key findings of the study: Average Monthly Bills Continue to Fall: The average reported monthly bill amount continues on a downward trend, averaging $73 in 2016, down from $80 in 2015 and $81 in 2014. Satisfaction in the price factor is improving, averaging 652 index points in 2016, compared with 620 in 2015 and 590 in 2014. Service Interruptions: In 2016, 10% of customers say they had an interruption with their gas service; when providers proactively notify customers about the interruption, satisfaction in the safety and reliability factor remains fairly high, averaging 822 points. This compares with 775 when they are notified through mass media. Satisfaction in the factor drops to 699 among customers who are not notified at all. The study ranks large and midsize utility companies in four geographic regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Companies in the midsize utility segment serve between 125,000 and 399,000 residential customers, and companies in the large utility segment serve 400,000 or more residential customers. The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective regions: East Large: New Jersey Natural Gas East Midsize: Elizabethtown Gas Midwest Large: MidAmerican Energy Midwest Midsize: Louisville Gas & Electric South Large: PSNC Energy South Midsize: TECO Peoples Gas West Large: NW Natural West Midsize: Cascade Natural Gas The 2016 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 62,000 online interviews conducted between September 2015 through July 2016 among resi- dential customers of 82 large and midsize gas utility brands across the 8continental United States. J.D. Power is a marketing, research and consulting company based in Costa Mesa, Calif. ATRI RELEASES FINDINGS ON FLEET FUEL ECONOMY AND FUEL USAGE The American Transportation Research Institute, in conjunc- tion with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and research sponsor ExxonMobil, released results of 978-750-9876 www.wohlerusa.com • Multifunctional analyzer • Integrated magnetic holder • Self-diagnosis function with alarm • Free box of thermal paper with purchase, PN:4145 Mention Promo code: FON The Measure of Technology Wohler A 400 L Flue Gas Analyzer Made in Germany Wohler A 400 L Flue Gas Analyzer 669 670 681 685 685 691 692 694 700 500 550 600 650 700 750 Columbia Gas of Massachusetts South Jersey Gas Southern Connecticut Gas East Midsize Average NYSEG Rochester Gas & Electric Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Connecticut Natural Gas Elizabethtown Gas EAST REGION: MIDSIZE SEGMENT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INDEX RANKING J.D. POWER 2016 GAS UTILITY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION STUDY Source: J.D. Power 2016 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study