(ACSI: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Gas and electric service recovers after three years of declining customer satisfaction, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Household satisfaction with utilities is up 4.2 percent to a score of 74.9 on a 100-point scale. According to residential customers, natural gas remains the superlative energy source, with a three-point lead over electric service (ACSI scores of 78 and 75, respectively).

The overall satisfaction improvement is a result of lower household energy costs, more so than better customer service. The heating season was 3-percent warmer than last year, which caused a decline in oil and natural gas household expenditure as well as lower electric usage and heating costs.

 “Lower cost tends to boost customer satisfaction, particularly for nondiscretionary items like energy,” says Claes Fornell, ACSI chairman and founder. “It’s not as much the cost of energy per se, but that usage was less than usual and extracted a smaller part of household income.”

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