CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Dec. 2023) – For the eighth consecutive year, J.D. Power ranked EPB Best in Customer Satisfaction for Residential Electric Service in the South among Midsize Utilities based on their 2023 U.S. Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. Among mid-sized electric utilities in the South region, EPB ranked number one in Overall Customer Satisfaction Index, 71 points higher than the overall industry trend. EPB also outpaced the national average to achieve top ranking among its regional peers in five of six categories:
• Price
• Corporate Citizenship
• Billing and Payment
• Communications
• Customer Care
“Eight years of sustained top service in its region is a tremendous accomplishment and reflects the commitment of EPB’s entire organization to the needs of its customers,” said John Hazen, managing director of utility intelligence at J.D. Power. “Consistent top performers like EPB help advance the positive perception of energy utilities across the country.”
“We’re deeply honored that our customers rate our efforts to serve them so positively,” said EPB President and CEO David Wade. “This recognition reflects the day-to-day efforts of every EPB employee who goes above and beyond to serve our customers. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with a group of people who are so dedicated to our mission of enhancing quality of life for our community.”
As part of its effort to continuously improve its services for customers, EPB will continue its focus on enhancing the EPB Energy Mix by building upon its Smart Grid infrastructure which reduced or avoided more than 40 million customer outage minutes last year. In the coming years, EPB will begin work to further strengthen the grid against electrical outages with a $32.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The project will include adding energy storage, transitioning 101 miles of overhead lines to underground lines, and replacing 1,338 power poles to prevent and minimize damage and outages.
As part of its effort to provide world-class customer service through all its customer interactions, EPB offers many customer resources that directly relate to categories assessed by J.D. Power’s Customer Satisfaction Survey:
• Levelized Billing – Levelized Billing calculates monthly bills on a rolling average of customer power usage over the past 12 months. This means bills won’t fluctuate dramatically month to month and customers can budget more effectively knowing approximately how much their electricity bill will cost.
• EPB Energy ProsSM – EPB Energy Pros provide a range of no-cost services to address residential customer questions via phone or through EPB Home Energy CheckupsSM to help customers save on home energy bills.
• Home Uplift – EPB Energy Pros and TVA EnergyRight® work with neighbors in need to provide substantial home energy upgrades at no charge to reduce their energy bills and improve their home air quality.
• United Way of Greater Chattanooga Bridge Fund – EPB and TVA have invested $940,000 in the Bridge Fund that helps address basic needs like food, utility payments and housing.
• Award-winning local support – EPB’s all-local support teams are available 24/7/365 to address customer needs anytime they need help.
EPB was also named a Smart Energy Provider by the American Public Power Association for the third time for its commitment to providing safe, reliable, low-cost and sustainable electric service.
The J.D. Power 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM evaluates data from 104,000+ interviews covering 149 brands, each of which serve 100,000 or more customers. J.D. Power’s South category for which EPB was named best Midsize Utility includes utilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.