According to the findings of a new Cogent Reports study by Market Strategies International, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) ranks as the most trusted utility brand in the east. The 2017 Utility Trusted Brand and Customer Engagement™ Residential Study measured the performance of the largest 130 natural gas, electric and combined utility companies throughout the country. NJNG’s score ranked higher than all other natural gas, electric and combined utilities in the eastern United States.

“To be recognized as the Most Trusted Brand in the east is an honor and a testament to the dedication and commitment of the women and men of New Jersey Natural Gas,” said Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO of New Jersey Natural Gas. “We are grateful for the trust our customers place in us and we remain committed to meeting their expectations for safety, reliability and value, every day.”

Now in its fourth year, the Utility Trusted Brand and Customer Engagement™ Residential Study provides a comprehensive view into utilities’ relationships with their residential customers, which includes operational satisfaction, product experience and brand trust. It is based on an online survey of about 60,000 residential utility customers comprised of 35 questions about performance, including safety and reliability of service, customer and field service, reliability of quality, environmental focus, billing and payment processes and communications effectiveness. NJNG scored 724 out of a possible 1,000, far exceeding the industry average of 683 and all other utilities in the region.

The study’s Brand Trust scores are developed by combining company ratings on 28 separate measures in six areas: concern for customers, company reputation, credibility, dedication, environmental performance and community involvement. Trust factors are then combined with operational satisfaction and product experience measures to generate a single overall Engaged Customer Relationship measure for each utility. The sample design uses U.S. Census data and strict quotas to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity.

More information about the report may be found at: marketstrategies.com/news/2690/1/Customer-Support-of-Energy-Utilities-Directly-Related-to-Brand-Trust.

About New Jersey Resources

New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:

  • New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates and maintains over 7,300 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex and Burlington counties.
  • NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
  • NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar and onshore wind projects with a total capacity of more than 280 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.
  • NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its 50 percent equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility and its stake in Dominion Midstream Partners, L.P., as well as its 20 percent equity interest in the PennEast Pipeline Project.
  • NJR Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey.

NJR and its more than 1,000 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project® and The Sunlight Advantage®.

For more information about NJR:

Visit www.njresources.com.
Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas.
“Like” us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas.
Download our free NJR investor relations app for iPad, iPhone and Android.