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Utility Shares Ways to Save, Approves Second Fuel Rate Decrease for Customers

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC—The Reliable One) has been named “Most Trusted Brand” among U.S. energy providers for the sixth consecutive year, according to a national customer survey conducted by the data analytics and advisory firm Escalent. With a score of 747, OUC placed first in the nation among electric utilities included in the 2023 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™ Residential study.

OUC debuted on the “Most Trusted Brand” index in 2018, and claimed the top score among U.S. electric utilities in the 2020, 2022 and 2023 surveys.

Escalent reports that “Brand Trust among utilities that have continued to highlight savings opportunities, environmental programs, and community support efforts across a variety of channels is 5% higher than the industry average.”

OUC has a long history of providing assistance options for customers, and recently proposed a second fuel pass-through rate decrease for customers.

“We know times are tough for many, and our customers are feeling the strain, which is why we continue to provide and promote important assistance and energy savings programs,” said Linda Ferrone, OUC Chief Customer and Marketing Officer. “At OUC, our customers have trusted us for 100 years to provide them with exceptional value and reliable service, which is why we proposed a second rate decrease in just four months.”

The second fuel-rate decrease in four months has been approved by OUC’s Board of Commissioners. It will take effect on October 1, 2023, pending review by the Florida Public Service Commission. Combined, OUC’s two most recent rate adjustments total a net average savings of $15/month for 1,000 kWh residential customers.

A variety of assistance options are available to OUC customers:

• To learn more, visit OUC.com/assistance.
• To learn about efficiency programs and ways to use less energy and water, visit OUC.com/waystosave.
• Additionally, OUC’s Project CARE is an assistance program that was established in 1994 to provide emergency relief to those experiencing financial hardships.
• To see how OUC works to provide a valuable connection to customers and community, visit OUC.com/connected.

About OUC—The Reliable One
In June 2023, OUC—The Reliable One celebrated 100 years of providing exceptional value to its customers and community through the delivery of sustainable and reliable services and solutions. The utility provides electric, water, chilled water, lighting and solar services to more than 400,000 accounts in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. As OUC prepares for the next century, it remains committed to its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while supporting its community with conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency resources. Visit www.OUC.com to learn more.

About Escalent’s Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential study

Escalent conducted surveys among 72,581 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 141 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. Learn more here.