J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Green Mountain Energy Company Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Texas Residential Electric Retail Providers in Inaugural Study

   Customers Subscribing to Green Power Pricing Plans Are More Satisfied,

                        Despite Paying Higher Prices



    WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 13 /EMWNews/ -- Among electric retail

providers in Texas, Green Mountain Energy Company ranks highest in customer

satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Texas

Residential Retail Electric Provider Customer Satisfaction Study(SM)

released today.



    



    The inaugural study measures customer satisfaction with retail electric

providers in Texas by examining four key factors (listed in order of

importance): pricing, billing and payment, communications and customer

service. Starting in 2002, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas opened

portions of the residential electric utility market in the state to retail

competition. According to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, 42

percent of Texas residential customers were served by competitive retail

electric providers by the end of 2007, totaling approximately 5.1 million

households.



    Green Mountain Energy Company achieves a score of 716 on a 1,000-point

scale and performs particularly well in three of the four factors: billing

and payment, communication and customer service. Stream Energy (687) and

Reliant Energy Retail (659) follow Green Mountain Energy Company in the

rankings. Stream Energy performs particularly well in the pricing factor.



    "By providing superior levels of customer satisfaction, Green Mountain

Energy Company has also achieved notably high levels of customer advocacy

and loyalty," said Jeff Conklin, senior director of the energy and utility

practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "A high percentage of Green Mountain

Energy Company customers say that they would definitely recommend their

electric retailer to family and friends, and these customers also make many

more positive recommendations about their provider, compared with customers

of other electric retailers in Texas."



    The study finds that customers who select a "green" pricing plan -- for

which electricity is produced using renewable resources such as solar, wind

or geothermal power -- report paying more for electric service, on average,

than do customers subscribing to other types of pricing plans. Customers

subscribing to green power plans report paying an average of $202 per

month, while customers on fixed price plans report spending $178 per month,

on average. Customers with variable price plans report paying an average of

$170 per month. However, green power customers are also more satisfied with

their electric service, on average. Overall satisfaction for customers on

green power plans averages 716, compared with satisfaction of fixed-price

plan subscribers (674) and variable-price plan subscribers (606).



    The study also includes the following key findings:



    -- Nearly one-half (43%) of customers say they initially signed up with

their retail electric provider more than four years ago.



    -- Approximately 35 percent of respondents report that they switched

providers within the past 24 months.



    -- Respondents who have switched providers within the past 24 months

are more satisfied (with satisfaction scores averaging 674) than customers

who have remained with their provider for more than four years (609).



    The 2008 Texas Residential Retail Electric Provider Customer

Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 2,500 online

interviews conducted in June 2008 among residential customers of electric

retailers in Texas. For more information on Texas residential electric

retailer ratings, please visit JDPower.com.

    About J.D. Power and Associates



    Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is

a global marketing information services company operating in key business

sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement,

training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction

measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.

For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health

insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D.

Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.



    About The McGraw-Hill Companies



    Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading

global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the

financial services, education and business information markets through

leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education,

BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than

280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional

information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.






     J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:

     John Tews               Syvetril Perryman

     Troy, Mich.             Westlake Village, Calif.

     (248) 312-4119          (805) 418-8103

     [email protected]      [email protected]



    No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information

in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and

Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate








    Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking    J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings

    (Based on a 1,000-point scale)         For Consumers



    Green Mountain Energy Company   716    5



    Stream Energy                   687    4

    Reliant Energy Retail           659    4

    GEXA Energy Corporation         655    4



    Direct Energy                   648    3

    Industry Average                638    3

    First Choice Power              630    3



    TXU Energy Company              606    2

    CPL Retail Energy               558    2



    Included in the study, but not ranked due to small sample size are:

Cirro Energy and Spark Energy.






    Power Circle Ratings Legend:

    5 - Among the best

    4 - Better than most

    3 - About average

    2 - The rest