Industry Brand Trust Remains Flat as Top Energy Utilities Advance on Customer Focus and Reputation

LIVONIA, Mich., July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new Cogent Syndicated report from Escalent finds that, following nearly two years of sustained recovery and improvement, residential customers’ trust in gas, electric and combination utilities plateaued in early 2026. As utilities work to counter declining monthly bill manageability perceptions worsening customer sentiment among residential customers, the industry’s Brand Trust Index declined by one point year over year, reaching 696 on a 1,000-point-max scale.

Those are some of the latest findings of the 2026 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential study, which tracks the performance of 155 gas, electric and combination utilities to identify brand and customer experience opportunities and trends in the industry. The report is published semiannually by Escalent, a top market research and advisory firm with extensive energy, utility and brand experience.

Although four Brand Trust components—Communications Effectiveness, Reliable Quality, Community Support and Environmental Dedication—remained stable or improved, overall Brand Trust declined due to substantial declines in the two most influential drivers: Customer Focus and Company Reputation.

“While energy utilities continue to perform well in many traditional measures of trust, customers are placing greater weight on whether companies act fairly, provide value and demonstrate a genuine commitment to their customers’ interests,” said Suzanne Haggerty, director of Cogent Syndicated research with Escalent’s Energy industry team. “As economic pressures persist, perceptions of ethics, fairness and customer focus are becoming increasingly important drivers of Brand Trust.”

While Brand Trust remained largely unchanged across the industry, the 32 energy utilities recognized as Escalent’s 2026 Most Trusted Brands collectively achieved significant year-over-year improvement.

These higher-scoring utilities set themselves apart through stronger perceptions of fairness, ethics, customer advocacy and reputation. Winners collectively achieved meaningful gains by strengthening the customer relationship in ways that extend beyond day-to-day service delivery. Among the most important findings:

• The largest advantages are tied to trust and customer advocacy: Compared with the industry average, the winners scored substantially higher on attributes such as being trusted to do the right thing for customers, acting ethically, considering customer concerns in business decisions, and generating positive word of mouth.
• Perceptions of value remain a major differentiator: “Offers reasonable rates for the service provided” represents one of the largest scoring gaps between winners and the industry, underscoring the importance of demonstrating value in an environment of continued customer sensitivity to costs.
• Company Reputation is reinforced by external perceptions: The winners outperform the industry on measures tied to positive comments from others and overall reputation, suggesting that trust is increasingly shaped by the broader narratives customers encounter beyond their direct interactions with the utility.
• Customer Focus is where the winners gained the most ground: The strongest improvements among winning energy utilities were concentrated in perceptions that energy utilities understand customer needs, consider customer concerns, and make decisions with customers’ interests in mind.
• Operational competence is necessary but not sufficient: While the winners also outperform the industry on traditional service measures, their greatest advantages come from relationship-oriented perceptions rather than transactional experiences alone.
  
  

“The energy utilities that earned Escalent’s 2026 Most Trusted Brand recognition distinguish themselves not just through strong operational performance, but through stronger customer relationships,” said Haggerty. “Customers are more likely to view these companies as fair, trustworthy and attentive to their concerns, demonstrating that trust is built through both what utilities do and how customers perceive their intentions.”

Energy utility communication remains one of the most direct levers for strengthening Brand Trust. Following a rebound from a mid-2024 low, the industry’s Communications Intensity Index—an indicator of communication investment—held steady from mid-2025 to mid-2026. Although Escalent’s 2026 Most Trusted Brands exhibited a similar year-over-year pattern, the group consistently outperformed the industry on Communications Intensity, highlighting the role of sustained customer communication in building trust.

“Customers are increasingly influenced by the stories and perceptions they encounter beyond their direct interactions with a utility,” Haggerty added. “High-trust utilities recognize that communication plays an important role in shaping those perceptions. Rather than communicating only when necessary, they maintain consistent outreach that helps build credibility and strengthen trust over the long term.”

Escalent is pleased to name these 32 energy utilities as our 2026 Most Trusted Brands.

*Utilities named as Most Trusted Brands are selected based on having Brand Trust Index scores in the top decile of the industry, the top score within their respective benchmark segment, or a Brand Trust Index score within 20 points of the top benchmark segment score and above the industry average.

The following tables reflect regional peer benchmark Brand Trust scores among the 155 utilities surveyed. These scores reflect the amount of trust customers have with each utility.

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

Escalent conducted surveys among 62,233 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 155 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. The Brand Trust index score is a composite based upon consumer ratings across six factors. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

For more information on the full report, click here.

About Escalent

Escalent is an AI-enabled market research and advisory partner with unmatched industry expertise. For 50 years, we have been catalysts of progress—turning a deep understanding of our clients’ worlds into smarter strategies and transforming human and market insight into decisive action that helps brands outthink disruption and accelerate growth. Following the acquisition of C Space and Hall & Partners in 2023, our 1,600-strong global team now offers a true one-stop shop for industry intelligence, customer insight and brand strategy. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, Escalent operates across the US and in Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, the 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:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a60a461-0c2d-4b8b-9c3f-02d697356764
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9c759f4-862a-476e-b676-09cee62aacb8