E SOURCE Announces Top Utility Web Sites
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ — According to the latest E SOURCE benchmark results for the performance of North American utility web sites, the top-rated U.S. electric and gas web sites belong to Avista Utilities, Arizona Public Service, South Carolina Electric and Gas, Wisconsin Public Service, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Alliant Energy. The top-rated Canadian utility web sites belong to BC Hydro and Union Gas.
The “E SOURCE 2009 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company Web Sites” assessed the web sites of 100 U.S. and Canadian utilities. Between December 2008 and May 2009, a team of residential customers accessed and used the top 31 web and mobile features (both content information and self-service tasks) identified by a 2008 E SOURCE market research study as the features residential customers most want to see on their utility’s web site. Testing the utility web sites on mobile devices was a new element of this year’s study. The reviews were conducted from the perspective of general Internet use, so the sites were rated against the best in class across all web sites, not just utility web sites.
This new study–the fifth E SOURCE web site review–is the largest, most detailed benchmark of electric and gas web sites available. E SOURCE found that both utility customer expectations and utility web sites have changed significantly since earlier reviews. Florence Connally, a research manager at E SOURCE, said, “Utilities are taking note that the web site is an important customer service channel and have taken strides to make them customer friendly. This year, utilities that offer more of the features residential customers want had more user-friendly web sites. In previous studies, we found outliers that focused more on customer experience and not on functionality and vice versa. That is no longer the case.”
Overall, E SOURCE found that utility web sites are catching up with customer expectations, as demonstrated by the fact that utilities now offer 77 percent of the features that customers want. Stephanie Cary, a senior research associate at E SOURCE, explained, “Electric and gas companies can never stand still. Just when they refine their web site offerings to match consumer expectations, new twists come along, such as our finding that consumers now expect to navigate the utility site through Google sitelinks.”
Eastern U.S. PPL Electric is the top ranked utility in the eastern region and was the only utility from this region to rank in the top quartile. Pepco and Connecticut Light & Power earned second and third respectively.
Midwestern U.S. Wisconsin Public Service captured the top rank in the midwestern region. Alliant Energy and We Energies rounded out the top three.
Southern U.S. South Carolina Electric and Gas ranks highest in the southern region. Dominion and Progress Energy earned the next two highest scores.
Western U.S. Avista Utilities earned the top rank in the western region. Arizona Public Service and Pacific Gas and Electric were the next highest performers.
Canada. BC Hydro garnered the highest ranking among Canadian utility web sites. Other top performers include Union Gas and SaskEnergy.
“As more customers turn to their utility’s web site to report electric outages or pay their bills, the focus of these web sites needs to be online self-service. Utility web sites are at their best when there is a problem such as a gas leak or power outage, but surprisingly, we found that one of the hardest features to use is simply making a payment,” said Andrew Heath, director of E SOURCE Customer Satisfaction Services.
E SOURCE members will learn more about the findings from the benchmark study in a special web conference today. Others interested in learning about the key findings should attend the 22nd Annual E SOURCE Forum (www.esource.com/forum2009) being held in Denver, Colorado, September 21-25, 2009.
This “E SOURCE 2009 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company Web Sites” final report includes benchmarking information, best practice advice, and detailed recommendations for utilities wishing to provide a positive online experience for their residential customers. For more information about this comprehensive report, please visit www.esource.com/public/products/Web_2009_Review.
About E SOURCE
E SOURCE has been providing unbiased, objective energy business intelligence to over 300 utilities and large energy users for more than 20 years. Our benchmarking services are supported by the latest market research looking at what customers want in utility self-service. That research helps us determine what utility IVR and web site tasks and functions should be assessed during our reviews. Our research analysts and consultants are among the best minds in the business, delivering significant and timely research that equips our customers with the right information at the right time to make better, faster decisions. We predict and address trends, technologies, and problems related to energy efficiency, utility customer satisfaction, program design, marketing, customer management, and sustainability.
NOTE: one chart follows.
Performance Ranking of U.S. and Canadian Web Sites
Functionality and average usability ratings were combined with equal weighting to determine the overall performance index, which has a maximum possible value of 1,000. The web sites were then ranked in descending order.
Rank Company name Score
Top Quartile
1 Avista Utilities 821
2 Arizona Public Service (APS) 788
3 South Carolina Electric & Gas 787
4 Wisconsin Public Service Corp. 782
5 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. 769
5 Alliant Energy 769
7 BC Hydro 751
7 Union Gas Limited 751
9 Dominion Virginia Power 734
10 Progress Energy 733
11 Alabama Power 731
12 PPL Electric Utilities 728
13 Duke Energy 724
14 San Diego Gas & Electric Co. 723
15 Salt River Project (SRP) 722
15 We Energies 722
17 Puget Sound Energy 718
18 Peoples Gas Delivery (Illinois) 715
19 American Electric Power 713
19 SaskEnergy 713
19 PacifiCorp 713
22 Southern California Gas Co. 708
23 Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division 703
23 Vectren 703
23 Westar Energy 703
Second Quartile
26 NW Natural 698
27 New Brunswick Power 697
28 Portland General Electric 693
28 Florida Power & Light 693
28 Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) 693
31 SaskPower 689
32 Ameren 685
33 ComEd 679
34 Georgia Power 667
35 Kansas City Power & Light 666
36 DTE Energy 663
37 NV Energy 658
38 MidAmerican Energy 653
38 Southern California Edison 653
40 PNM 648
40 Reliant Energy 648
42 Pepco 645
42 Manitoba Hydro 645
44 Connecticut Light & Power 643
45 Terasen Gas Inc. 642
46 CPS Energy 632
47 New York State Electric & Gas 628
48 Otter Tail Power 625
49 Nicor Gas 621
49 Los Angeles Department of Water & Power 621
Third Quartile
51 Enbridge Gas Distribution 618
52 Hydro Ottawa Limited 616
53 Idaho Power 613
53 NorthWestern Energy-Montana 613
53 Washington Gas 613
56 National Grid New York 612
56 Public Service Electric and Gas 612
58 Central Maine Power 610
59 Con Edison 606
60 Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. 605
61 Hydro One Networks 601
61 Hydro-Quebec 601
61 Tampa Electric Co. 601
64 Xcel Energy 595
65 Omaha Public Power District 591
66 Atmos Energy 590
66 Jersey Central Power & Light 590
68 Louisville Gas & Electric 590
69 Virginia Natural Gas 588
70 Black Hills Energy 583
70 Nova Scotia Power 583
72 Consumers Energy 578
73 Long Island Power Authority 577
74 Entergy Louisiana 576
74 Laclede Gas 576
Fourth Quartile
76 NSTAR 575
77 Questar Gas 571
78 Centerpoint Energy (Minnesota) 567
79 ENMAX 556
79 Duquesne Light 556
81 Baltimore Gas & Electric 554
82 Hawaiian Electric Co. 550
83 PECO Energy 547
84 Allegheny Power 535
85 Direct Energy (Texas) 531
86 Oklahoma Gas & Electric 529
87 Austin Energy 525
88 Columbia Gas of Ohio 523
88 Gaz Metro 523
90 TXU Energy 520
91 Silicon Valley Power 511
92 Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd. 488
93 Southwest Gas 487
94 Missouri Gas Energy 485
95 Pedernales Electric 458
96 Dayton Power & Light 440
97 Piedmont Natural Gas 436
98 National Fuel Gas 431
98 Philadelphia Gas Works 431
100 EPCOR 412
Source: “E SOURCE 2009 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company Web Sites”
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying E SOURCE as the publisher and “E SOURCE 2009 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company Web Sites” as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of E SOURCE.
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