Muni Aggregation Customers Less Satisfied with Retail Providers Than Shopping Customers
August 13,2014
Customers supplied by municipal aggregation are less satisfied with their retail providers than customers who shop on their own, according to J.D. Power's 2014 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
According to J.D. Power, "In Illinois and Ohio, satisfaction among customers who have switched from their local electric utility via aggregation (communities negotiate a retail contract on their behalf) is substantially lower than among those who have chosen a REP on their own (619 vs. 647, respectively)."
This is also borne out in the individual retail supplier rankings.
As noted in the satisfaction rankings posted on EnergyChoiceMatters.com, the bottom two suppliers in the Illinois satisfaction rankings are two of the largest aggregation suppliers: Integrys Energy and Homefield Energy. FirstEnergy Solutions, another large aggregation supplier, also ranks "below average" in Illinois customer satisfaction.
The dominant Massachusetts muni aggregation supplier, ConEdison Solutions, ranks last in the Massachusetts satisfaction rankings.
Similarly in Ohio, two suppliers that serve a relatively small amount of aggregation customers (Direct Energy and IGS Energy) top the rankings, while FirstEnergy Solutions and AEP Energy are ranked in the bottom 3.