Residential customers have rated PPL Electric Utilities as one of the most trusted utility brands in the nation, according to a recent study conducted by Escalent, a human behavior and analytics firm.

“Having the trust of our customers is truly important to us,” said PPL Electric Utilities President Steph Raymond. “Despite one of the most unique and challenging years in 2020, our team found ways to better communicate the support programs we have available for customers and the work we do to deliver electricity safely, reliably and affordably.”

Customers’ trust in utilities spiked in the past year due to increased communications about product and service options, environmental efforts, and how utilities partnered with customers on shared priorities during the pandemic, according to Escalent.

“Starting active conversations with customers on how their utility can partner with and support them throughout the challenges faced this past year has strongly positioned utilities as trusted energy advisers and great corporate citizens,” said Escalent Senior Vice President Chris Oberle. “An elite group (of utilities) has been able to build trusted brands that empower customers with valuable offerings and value-added information.”

PPL Electric Utilities has always proactively communicated its various programs that assist customers with topics like bill help, energy efficiency and shopping for electricity suppliers, but in 2020 a special focus was placed on programs that aimed to alleviate stress for customers during difficult times.

Some of the programs and information communicated to customers included:

Emergency Rental Assistance Program - a federal program that helps renters affected by financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic with monetary assistance for monthly rent, utility bills, fees and past-due balances.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program - a federal program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing grants for payment assistance.

OnTrack payment plan - a program that makes managing your bill easier with lower fixed monthly payments and debt forgiveness for qualifying customers.

Operation HELP - a fuel fund supported by donations from PPL Electric Utilities employees and customers that provides grants to help customers with their energy bills.

Other bill help services like: budget billing, payment arrangements and flexibility in choosing a due date.

Escalent conducted surveys among 76,656 residential utility customers of the 140 largest U.S. utility companies. Using U.S. census data, the survey participation is designed to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity.