LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) has received the top business customer satisfaction ranking among large natural gas utilities in the Western United States, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study^SM.  

The annual study measures business customer satisfaction with natural gas utility companies in the East, Midwest, South and West across six categories: billing and payment; corporate citizenship; price; communications; customer service; and field service.

"The recognition by J.D. Power and Associates —a research brand synonymous with customer service excellence— pays the highest compliment to the dedicated SoCalGas employees who work hard every day to provide outstanding service to our customers," said Anne Shen Smith, chairman and chief executive officer for SoCalGas. "I want to thank our more than 8,000 employees and say, on their behalf, how proud we are of this achievement. We also thank our business customers for acknowledging SoCalGas' commitment to providing safe, reliable and affordable service to them and the communities we serve."

In addition to earning the study's top regional ranking, SoCalGas was a strong performer in the corporate citizenship, billing and payment; price and customer communications factors.

The study, which was fielded from May to July 2012 and October to December 2012, is based on a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. natural gas utility business customers. More information on the J.D. Power and Associates study can be found at www.jdpower.com.

About Southern California Gas Company

Southern California Gas Co.  has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 20.9 million consumers connected through nearly 5.8 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border.  SoCalGas is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company