CenterPoint Energy ranks as top performer in J.D. Power 2013 Customer Satisfaction Study

Company received second-highest natural gas utility ranking in the South

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Sep 25, 2013, 07:15 ET

HOUSTON, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) ranked second among the largest South Region utilities in the J.D. Power and Associates (J.D. Power) 2013 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The J.D. Power study is a comprehensive evaluation of customers' attitudes in six factors: billing and payment, price, corporate citizenship, communications, customer service and field service.

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"Our goal is to provide an exceptional experience by investing in technology that gives customers useful information about their accounts and service as well as the ability to interact with us the way they prefer," said Joe McGoldrick, president of CenterPoint Energy's natural gas operations business. "I would like to thank our employees for their hard work and dedication to providing quality customer service, and also acknowledge our customers for their loyalty and for recognizing the improvements we continue to make."

In the 2013 study, overall satisfaction with large natural gas utilities averaged 640 nationwide on a 1,000 point scale; the South Region average was 658. CenterPoint Energy's overall customer satisfaction index score in that region was 663. It ranked first in the Customer Service factor with a score of 777.

In addition to the high ranking in the South Region, CenterPoint Energy's natural gas operations in Minnesota continued to rank in the top quartile among the largest Midwest Region utilities. The company placed first in the Field Service factor out of 17 large natural gas utilities in that region.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution and competitive natural gas sales and services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

The company also owns a 58.3 percent limited partner interest in a midstream partnership it jointly controls with OGE Energy Corp. with operations in major natural gas and liquids-rich producing areas of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. With more than 8,700 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 135 years. The utility also operates a non-regulated business in Minnesota called Home Service Plus®. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.