Customer Satisfaction With Energy Utilities Dips Slightly as Cooperatives Improve and Customer Expectations Rise, ACSI Data Show

Energy utility companies face increasing pressure as rising demand, infrastructure investment needs, cybersecurity concerns, clean energy transition efforts, and affordability challenges converge at a time when higher customer expectations outpace satisfaction levels.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Energy Utilities Study 2026, overall customer satisfaction drops 1% to a score of 73 (on a scale of 0 to 100). Satisfaction declines modestly for most utility categories, including electric investor-owned utilities (down 1% to 72), gas investor-owned utilities (down 1% to 74), and municipal utilities (down 1% to 74). Cooperative utilities, coincidentally, see member satisfaction rebound from the year before, inching up 1% to an ACSI score of 77.

Beneath these topline numbers, affordability is emerging as the dominant pressure point. Rising customer complaint rates and open-ended feedback point to growing sensitivity around cost — even as traditional price and value metrics remain relatively stable. The tension suggests that customers’ lived experience of energy costs may be outpacing what headline satisfaction scores capture.

“The cost story in this data isn’t showing up where you’d expect. It’s emerging in complaints and in what customers are telling us in their own words,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “Digital touchpoints like mobile apps and websites continue to perform well, but those have become baseline expectations. The real signal is that pressure is building around affordability and perceived value, and utilities will need to address that head-on.”

Results suggest that customers’ experiences with energy efficiency programs are increasingly shaping satisfaction outcomes, and participation doesn’t always translate into higher satisfaction across all utility types. This points to a potential expectation gap that warrants attention.

For a second year, the study provides a more nuanced view of residential customer satisfaction through regional results, enabling more meaningful comparisons among utilities operating in similar conditions. Additionally, for the first time, the study includes separate rankings for investor-owned utilities based on customer ratings for the electric service or natural gas service they receive.

Other key takeaways from the study include:

• At the national level, NextEra Energy (down 3%) leads among electric investor-owned utilities with an ACSI score of 76. Five companies share second place at 75: Ameren (down 1%), Duke Energy (unchanged), Public Service Enterprise Group (down 1%), Sempra (up 4%), and Southern Company (unchanged).
• For gas investor-owned utilities nationally, Atmos Energy (up 4%) posts the highest ACSI score of 80. Three companies tie for second place at 77: CenterPoint Energy (up 1%), Sempra (up 3%), and Southern Company (unchanged).
• Among electric service providers, Sempra shows the most improvement at the national level, while DTE Energy (up 6% to 76) is the top gainer for gas service.
• In regional results for investor-owned utilities, the South leads for electric service (75) and ties the Midwest for highest gas satisfaction (76). The West, an area challenged by wildfires and higher rates, trails the other regions for electric and gas service (71 each).
• Regional electric service leaders are Public Service Electric & Gas Company (down 1% to 77) in the Northeast, MidAmerican Energy Company (up 7% to 80) in the Midwest, Duke Energy (up 1%) and Florida Power & Light Company (down 3%) to 76 each in the South, and Avista (down 1% to 79) in the West.
• Regional gas service leaders are National Fuel Gas Distribution Company (up 1% to 79) in the Northeast, MidAmerican Energy Company (up 1% to 79) in the Midwest, Atmos Energy (up 4% to 80) in the South, and Avista, new to the Index in the West, with an ACSI score of 81, the highest reported score out of all regional utilities this year.
• Salt River Project once again stands out, topping the municipal segment at 80, followed closely by CPS Energy, up 7% to 79.

The ACSI Energy Utilities Study 2026 is based on 33,759 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between January and December 2025. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and X at @theACSI.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI’s AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns.

Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.org.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.

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