At Pinnacle West, our customers are at the forefront of everything we do. The company is continually looking for ways to improve systems and operations in ways that impact reliability and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is at the essence of everything we do, and thankfully we continue to get high marks from our customers. In the most recent J.D. Power residential and business customer satisfaction surveys, APS ranked in the top 10 percent nationally, and first among investor-owned utilities in the West, in overall customer satisfaction.

The company also conducts its own surveys to determine customer satisfaction. APS’ Customer Satisfaction Tracking Survey gauges the satisfaction levels of residential and small-to-midsize business customers. The customers are randomly selected regardless of whether they have had any recent company contact.

Demand Side Management Programs and Energy Conservation
APS routinely offers assistance to our customers to help use energy wisely. Here are some components of APS’ Demand Side Management programs:

Performance Built Homes — To help builders promote the value of energy efficiency, APS works with building materials vendors to provide buyers with a heating and cooling guarantee. Builders who meet program specifications are able to offer their homebuyers a two-year guarantee that the monthly costs to heat and cool their homes will be less than a specified amount. The participating insulation product vendor provides the guarantee. In addition, APS’ support for the guarantee concept has been instrumental in influencing construction practices throughout the Phoenix metro area.

Online Energy Audit — APS provides online energy analysis software on its consumer Web site, aps.com. The feature allows current and prospective customers to analyze home and business energy use and identify energy efficient measures.

Bill Analysis — A recent innovation to aid customers in analyzing their energy use is the “bill download” feature on aps.com. Registered aps.com users can download their bill history online and compare current usage to past usage.

Energy Cost Brochures — APS provides energy information to homebuilders and customers. Most new-home subdivisions are provided with a brochure that shows the APS estimate of the energy cost for each model. In addition, APS salespeople are provided with charts showing the impact on energy use of various building components. These have been effective in convincing builders to switch to more energy-efficient components.

In 2005, as part of a rate case settlement agreement, APS agreed to significantly increase its spending on demand side management programs to approximately $16 million per year over the next three years. New programs are currently being developed with the help of stakeholders.