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Survey: Half Of Electric Utility Customers Don't Have Strong Feeling About Likelihood Of Choosing Alternative Provider, If Ability Were Granted

January 26, 2018

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Copyright 2010-17 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

A survey from DEFG (Distributed Energy Financial Group LLC) indicates that half of utility customers did not have a strong feeling one way or the other when presented with the question of their likelihood of choosing an alternative provider to their electric utility, if such choice were available to the customers

DEFG's latest Annual State of the Customer Survey in the Utility Sector asked customers, "If you had the ability to choose a different provider than your electric utility, how likely would you be to choose a different provider?"

When asked if they would choose a different provider if given the option to do so, half did not have a strong feeling one way or the other. Approximately one quarter (22%) gave a top-3-box (likely to change) rating, while only a slightly higher number (29%) gave a bottom-3-box (not likely) rating.

If they were to choose a new electric utility the most important consideration, by far, was that they offered lower energy prices (54%). Incentives (14%), higher reliability (12%), more renewable power options (12%), and better customer experience (6%) would not be important catalysts to change.

Older adults were significantly less willing to change providers compared to their younger contemporaries (48% gave a bottom-3-rating vs. 21% of the younger adults), as were home owners (31% vs. 25% of renters who gave a bottom-3-rating).

In terms of specific pricing options for utility service, respondents were most interested in conservation pricing, defined as a lower rate if the customer uses less electricity (42% placed this among their top two most useful), fixed cost pricing (33%), the pricing they have always gotten (29%), and time of use pricing (28%). "Green" (15%) and solar pricing (12%) were of least interest to them.

The survey, entitled "The Glass Half Full for Utility Customer Service" and which examines a host of other customer opinions regarding utility service, was conducted via the internet among 1,022 adults 18 years of age or older from November 17-20, 2017.

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