Leading Gas, Electric and Combination Utilities Maintain Momentum With Business Customers of All Sizes

Escalent Recognizes 12 Utilities as 2025 Business Customer Champions

LIVONIA, Mich., Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new Cogent Syndicated report from Escalent finds that business customer engagement with gas, electric and combination utilities has maintained the upward momentum that began in early 2024, though progress leveled off from mid-2025 through year-end. While all major indices improved year over year, gains in Product Experience drove the most significant recovery in the Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) score. Stronger performance in the product and service sign-up journey was a primary contributor to the index’s improvement.

These insights are among the latest findings from the Cogent Syndicated 2025 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™ (UTBCE): Business study, which tracks the performance of 85 gas, electric and combination utilities serving businesses to identify brand and customer experience opportunities and trends in the industry. The report is published semiannually by Escalent, a top data analytics and advisory firm with extensive expertise in energy, utility and brand experience.

After reaching a low of 713 (on a 1,000-point-maximum scale) at the end of 2023, the business ECR score steadily progressed throughout 2024 into the first half of 2025, reaching a high of 734. The score then declined by two points in the second half of 2025, driven primarily by a drop in Brand Trust performance.

The 2025 business environment was shaped by substantial macroeconomic pressures, including rapidly evolving tariff regimes, elevated interest rates, and historically low consumer sentiment. Despite this, the share of businesses anticipating economic and business growth remained at or near three-year highs, demonstrating notable resilience in outlook despite external uncertainty.

Expectations for economic and business growth remain stronger among midsize and large businesses than among smaller firms. While this disparity is not new, it widened in 2025, with 4% more of the smallest businesses—those with fewer than five employees—expecting deteriorating economic and business growth expectations, according to our findings.

“Economic sentiment is a powerful driver of business engagement with utilities, and the widening confidence gap between small and larger businesses underscores the need for more tailored strategies from utilities,” said Suzanne Haggerty, director of Cogent Syndicated research with Escalent’s Energy industry team. “With small businesses making up more than four in ten business customers nationally, utilities must adapt their engagement approach to better meet the needs of this highly sensitive segment as they head into 2026.”

While overall business customer engagement across the industry remains elevated, 12 utilities stand out with ECR scores that significantly exceed those of their peers, earning them the distinction of Escalent’s 2025 Business Utility Customer Champions.

These top-performing gas, electric and combination utilities excel across multiple study metrics, with particularly strong performance among small business customers—a segment that has historically reported lower levels of engagement.

“Utilities that invest in targeted programs, tailored service options, and relevant communication for small and midsize business customers consistently achieve higher engagement scores,” Haggerty explained. “Those efforts not only improve day-to-day interactions, but also strengthen trust and long-term relationships in a segment that is especially sensitive to economic change.”

2025 Business Customer Champions perform particularly strongly in Product Experience, earning scores that are 14% higher than average. This performance is driven in part by perceptions of clear and accessible program information, which score 9% above average.

“Clear, well-communicated information helps business customers quickly identify utility offerings that simplify operations and support more efficient energy use,” said Haggerty. “This capability is increasingly emerging as a key differentiator in effectively serving business customers.”

Escalent is pleased to name these 12 gas, electric and combination utilities as our 2025 Business Customer Champions.

*Utilities named as Business 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™: Business study

Escalent conducted surveys among 12,653 business customers of 85 US electric, natural gas and combination utility companies. Utilities within the same region are given equal weight to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. The Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) Index is a composite score based upon a 360-degree customer review of how engaged businesses are with their energy utility provider. Scores are composed of ratings across service satisfaction, brand and product experiences. 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.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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Suzanne Haggerty

Director, Syndicated Research

Escalent names 12 utilities as our 2025 Business Customer Champions

Congratulations to the 12 utilities that stand out as 2025 Business Customer Champions

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