LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has earned the top customer satisfaction ranking among large natural gas utilities in the Western United States and has the highest score among all utilities nationwide, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study(SM).    

The study, which was fielded between September 2010 and July 2011, is based on a random survey of U.S. residential natural gas utility customers.

"To be recognized by J.D. Power and Associates is a tribute to our employees who go above and beyond to provide outstanding service to our customers every day," said Michael W. Allman, president and chief executive officer for SoCalGas. "Because of their dedication, we've garnered a long-standing reputation of providing safe, reliable and affordable service to the communities we serve.  This shows that our customers recognize that our motto, 'Glad to be of service,' is backed up by our employees' actions."

In the study, SoCalGas received a customer-satisfaction score of 671, the highest score among all 75 natural gas utilities throughout the United States that were included in the survey, and the highest score among the nine large utilities ranked in the western region.  The scores for each utility are based on six factors: billing and payment; price; corporate citizenship; communications; customer service; and field service.  

About Southern California Gas Co.
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