Gas, Electric and Combination Utilities Rebuild Customer Engagement as Brand Trust Fuels Recovery

Escalent names 36 utilities as 2025 Customer Champions amid continued residential engagement gains

LIVONIA, Mich., Jan. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After several years of uneven performance, residential gas, electric and combination utility customer engagement is firmly back on an upward trajectory. A new Cogent Syndicated report from Escalent finds that year-end customer engagement improved for the second consecutive year in 2025, signaling continued recovery from post-pandemic declines.

Although all major indices posted year-over-year gains, Brand Trust once again played the most influential role in driving recovery. Improvements in company reputation led Brand Trust gains.

Those are some of the latest findings of the 2025 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™ (UTBCE): Residential study, which tracks the performance of 149 gas, electric and combination utilities to identify brand and customer experience opportunities and trends in the industry. Published semiannually, the UTBCE Residential study helps utilities identify emerging customer trends and opportunities to strengthen engagement. The research is conducted by Escalent, a top data analytics and advisory firm with extensive energy, utility and brand experience.

Billing & Payment performance was flat year over year, moderating gains in Service Satisfaction. Given its central role in the customer experience, sustained underperformance in Billing & Payment could pose a potential headwind to overall engagement growth in 2026.

“Customer perceptions of bill manageability, ease of payment and having enough time to pay weakened over 2024,” said Suzanne Haggerty, director of syndicated research in Escalent’s Energy industry practice. “Historically, this pattern serves as an early warning for pressure on Brand Trust and Product Experience. When customers don’t feel their utility recognizes or supports them through their financial challenges with meaningful communication, programs and services, overall engagement suffers.”

Despite lingering pressure points, many utilities are now posting stronger engagement scores, with 36 utilities outperforming their peers by a wide margin. These organizations have earned the designation of Escalent 2025 Utility Customer Champions for their ability to build and sustain highly engaged residential customer relationships.

“These utilities were not immune to the post-pandemic declines—each experienced some loss of momentum during the downturns of 2022 and 2023,” said Haggerty. “Today, however, most Customer Champions are outperforming their pre-pandemic scores, positioning them to be better prepared than many of their peers to navigate potential economic challenges ahead.”

As economic uncertainty persists, the performance of these Customer Champions underscores the importance of sustained focus on trust, reputation and customer-centric support, especially as affordability and financial stress remain top of mind for residential customers.

Escalent is pleased to name these 36 gas, electric and combination utilities as our 2025 Customer Champions.

* Utilities named as Customer Champions are selected based on having Engaged Customer Relationship Index scores in the top decile of the industry, the top score within their respective benchmark segment, or an Engaged Customer Relationship Index score within 20 points of the top benchmark segment score and above the industry average.

The following tables reflect regional peer benchmark Engaged Customer Relationship scores among the utilities surveyed.

For more information on the full report, click here.

About the Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential study

Escalent conducted surveys among 60,849 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 149 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts). The sample design uses a combination of quotas and weighting based on US census data to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity. Utilities within the same region and of the same type (e.g., electric-only providers) are given equal weight to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

About Escalent

Escalent is an award-winning data analytics and advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, we accelerate growth by creating a seamless flow between primary, secondary, syndicated, and internal business data, providing consulting and advisory services from insights through implementation. We are 1,600 team members strong, following the acquisition of C Space and Hall & Partners in April 2023. Escalent is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with locations across the US and in Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, and the UK. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.

Contact        
Stephanie Salvadero, 734.838.5192
stephanie.salvadero@escalent.co

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a60a461-0c2d-4b8b-9c3f-02d697356764

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8cf17592-ac56-41c5-b362-81780fd82b9c

Suzanne Haggerty

Director, Syndicated Research

Escalent's 2025 Customer Champions

Congratulations to the 36 utilities that stand out as 2025 Customer Champions

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