Press Releases
01/04/2017
AVANGRID Utilities Among Industry Leaders in Customer Engagement
AVANGRID Utilities Among Industry Leaders in Customer Engagement
NEW HAVEN, CT — January 4, 2017 — AVANGRID (NYSE:AVG) utilities in Maine and New York were named “Utility Customer Champions” by Market Strategies International in the 2016 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™ study of residential customers by Cogent Reports™. The annual study benchmarks and trends 130 utilities using an Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) tracking index, comprising Brand Trust, Product Experience, and Operational Satisfaction measures. Market Strategies International notes that consumers increasingly value brand and product experiences while operational satisfaction is declining in importance.
“Industry innovation is bringing new opportunities for our companies to improve services and offer greater value to our customers, while preserving our close relationship, which will be key to continued success,” said Bob Kump, CEO of Avangrid Networks. “We approach every interaction as a chance to build our relationship with customers, because we want to be their most trusted resource for information, referrals, and quality service.”
Central Maine Power (CMP), one of AVANGRID’s Maine companies, placed first among electric utilities in the East and in the top quartile of electric utilities overall in the 2016 study. This is the third consecutive year CMP has been recognized for customer trust and customer engagement in Cogent’s annual study. In 2015, CMP was also recognized as an Environmental Champion by Cogent Reports™ based on customers’ ratings of the company’s support for environmental causes and helping consumers save energy.
“Customers will always value safe, reliable, affordable service, but it takes more to move them from satisfied to engaged,” said Sara Burns, president and CEO of Central Maine Power. “We continually work to improve their experience with services powered by smart meters, such as Bill Alerts, Outage Alerts, and our on-line Energy Manager, and convenience services such as multiple bill payment options.”
New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), one of AVANGRID’s New York companies, also placed first among electric and gas utilities in the East and in the top quartile overall in the 2016 study. This is the second consecutive year NYSEG has been recognized for customer trust and customer engagement in Market Strategies’ annual study. In 2015, NYSEG was also recognized as an Environmental Champion by Cogent Reports™ based on customers’ ratings of the company’s support for environmental causes and helping consumers save energy.
“Customer engagement will determine the success of many initiatives linked to New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision,” said Mark S. Lynch, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “Our customers’ strong response to programs for residential energy savings and demand response shows they will take steps to manage their energy use more wisely when they trust their utility as a resource for guidance and tools.”
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About AVANGRID:
AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a diversified energy and utility company with more than $30 billion in assets and operations in 25 states. The company operates regulated utilities and electricity generation through two primary lines of business. Avangrid Networks includes eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving 3.1 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables operates 6.3 gigawatts of electricity capacity, primarily through wind power, in states across the United States. AVANGRID employs 7,000 people. The company was formed by a merger between Iberdrola USA and UIL Holdings Corporation in 2015. IBERDROLA S.A. (Madrid: IBE), a worldwide leader in the energy industry, owns 81.5% of AVANGRID. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR). As Maine’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility, CMP serves 618,000 homes and businesses, representing about 80% of Maine’s customer base. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the company #1 in customer satisfaction seven times. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com.
About NYSEG: NYSEG is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR). NYSEG serves 886,000 electricity customers and 265,000 natural gas customers across more than 40% of upstate New York. For more information,
visit www.nyseg.com.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
