Study: Only 41% of Power Customers Recall Hearing from Utilities Amid Rising Reliability Struggles
Electric utilities across the U.S. are struggling to connect with consumers amid a mix of rising prices, declining customer feedback and lagging innovation impacting the industry.
According to the 2026 J.D. Power U.S. Utility Brand Appeal Index Study, overall brand appeal for electric utilities declined four points year-over-year to 690 on a 1,000-point scale. The research firm's study, which surveyed 142,626 utility customers from August 2025 through June 2026, reveals this decline is largely driven by eroding company reputations, poor execution of customer-facing issues and service reliability.
Among customers who experience power outages, utility brand appeal drops by 57 points compared to those who remain confident in their service provider’s performance. Ultimately, J.D. Power highlights that building a strong brand remains crucial for providers, as average customer satisfaction scores are 407 points higher among customers who view their utility's appeal positively compared to those who view it negatively.
Surging energy costs, J.D. Power adds, have not only triggered a sharp reduction in engagement from utilities, but consumers are feeling the financial squeeze.
In J.D. Power's newest Quarterly Share of Wallet Tracker report, which highlights trends in residential utility costs, the average monthly cost for residential electric, gas and water utility bills was up 2.6% ($428) in Q2 2026, an increase of 2.4% from Q1 2026. Electric residential costs remain the highest overall, the report noted.
Because of this, consumer outreach has dropped significantly year-over-year, leaving only 41% of electric utility customers who currently recall receiving any communication from their provider.
“Utility brand appeal is down significantly this year, and that is part of a long-term trend driven by less frequent communications on meaningful topics that connect with customers on an emotional level,” said Chris Oberle, managing director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power, in a statement. “Utilities need to build stronger community engagement and industry leadership, and that means more than just messaging about outages or price increases.”
Despite the widespread gap, several electric utilities have broken away from these rating dilemmas. The top-performing providers include: cooperative Sawnee EMC (741), city-owned public utility EPB (748), community-owned public electric utility Seattle City Light (738), PSE&G (719) and MidAmerican Energy (719).
Many of these utility providers have maintained their high ranking positions for three consecutive years out of the 152 U.S. electric utilities profiled by J.D. Power.
