AVANGRID Utilities Among Industry Leaders in Customer Engagement

NEW HAVEN, CT  - January 4, 2017  AVANGRID (NYSE:AVG) utilities in Maine and New York were named Utility Customer Champions by Market Strategies International in the 2016 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement study of residential customers by Cogent Reports. The annual study benchmarks and trends 130 utilities using an Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) tracking index, comprising Brand Trust, Product Experience, and Operational Satisfaction measures. Market Strategies International notes that consumers increasingly value brand and product experiences while operational satisfaction is declining in importance.

Industry innovation is bringing new opportunities for our companies to improve services and offer greater value to our customers, while preserving our close relationship, which will be key to continued success, said Bob Kump, CEO of Avangrid Networks. We approach every interaction as a chance to build our relationship with customers, because we want to be their most trusted resource for information, referrals, and quality service.

Central Maine Power (CMP), one of AVANGRID's Maine companies, placed first among electric utilities in the East and in the top quartile of electric utilities overall in the 2016 study. This is the third consecutive year CMP has been recognized for customer trust and customer engagement in Cogent's annual study. In 2015, CMP was also recognized as an Environmental Champion by Cogent Reports based on customers' ratings of the company's support for environmental causes and helping consumers save energy.

Customers will always value safe, reliable, affordable service, but it takes more to move them from satisfied to engaged, said Sara Burns, president and CEO of Central Maine Power. We continually work to improve their experience with services powered by smart meters, such as Bill Alerts, Outage Alerts, and our on-line Energy Manager, and convenience services such as multiple bill payment options.

New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), one of AVANGRID's New York companies, also placed first among electric and gas utilities in the East and in the top quartile overall in the 2016 study. This is the second consecutive year NYSEG has been recognized for customer trust and customer engagement in Market Strategies' annual study. In 2015, NYSEG was also recognized as an Environmental Champion by Cogent Reports based on customers' ratings of the company's support for environmental causes and helping consumers save energy.

Customer engagement will determine the success of many initiatives linked to New York's Reforming the Energy Vision, said Mark S. Lynch, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. Our customers' strong response to programs for residential energy savings and demand response shows they will take steps to manage their energy use more wisely when they trust their utility as a resource for guidance and tools.