SAN DIEGO, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) was recognized by PA Consulting Group (PA) as the recipient of both the ReliabilityOne™ award and Balanced Scorecard Achievement award among Western U.S. electric utilities.

"We are proud to be recognized for the sixth year in a row as the 'Best in the West' for electric reliability," said David L. Geier, vice president of electric operations for SDG&E.  "Maintaining reliability is critical and is our core business.  This award is a testament to our employees who work day in and day out to ensure the lights stay on for our customers."  

SDG&E has taken home tops honors at the past six ReliabilityOne™ awards, including the National award in 2010.

All utilities operating electric delivery networks in North America are eligible for consideration for the ReliabilityOne™ award.  There are a total of five regional awards including Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Plains and Western region.  When PA Consulting selects reliability winners, the selection is based primarily on the number of outages and length of the outage.

In addition to the ReliabilityOne™ award, SDG&E was also the recipient of the customer service award known as the Balanced Scorecard Achievement award.    

"Providing excellent customer service has always been is a cornerstone of our business," said Caroline Winn, vice president of customer services.  "To be recognized among our peers for our continued efforts to enhance our customers' experience is an honor."

The Balanced Scorecard Achievement award recognizes companies that provide outstanding performance within areas of customer service and demonstrate best practices and excellence in operations along the components of cost, service level, and safety particular to an area of customer service.  

"A major reason why SDG&E has been recognized for its industry-leading performance in customer service is because it has excelled at meeting the demands of its customers via multiple channels, with each channel delivering a similar positive experience," said Gregg Edeson, PA's ServiceOne Program Director.  "SDG&E's performance is commendable given that this level of service requires a high degree of cross-functional cooperation and day-to-day problem-solving."

About PA Consulting Group

PA Consulting Group is a leading management and IT consulting and technology firm. Independent and employee-owned, PA Consulting operates globally in more than 30 countries and transforms the performance of major organizations in both private and public sectors. From initial idea generation and strategy development through to detailed implementation, PA Consulting delivers significant and tangible results.

PA Consulting has outstanding technology development capability; a unique breadth of skills from strategy to performance improvement, HR to IT; and strong expertise in communications, defense, energy, financial services, government and public services, healthcare, international development, manufacturing and water.  For more information about PA Consulting Group, please visit www.paconsulting.com.

About SDG&E

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.5 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties.  The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles.  SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help customers save energy and money every day. 

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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)