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J.D. Power Reports:As the Pace of Switching Slows, Retail Electric Providers Need to Find Ways to Differentiate theCustomer ExperienceSatisfaction with Retail Electric Providers Is Highest in Texas and Pennsylvania for a Second ConsecutiveYearWESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 12 August 2015 — With fewer customers shopping for electricity, retailelectric providers need to shift their focus to other areas of the customer experience, such as ease ofenrollment and frequent communications, to differentiate their brand and meet evolving customerexpectations, according to the J.D. Power 2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer SatisfactionStudySM released today.The study, now in its third year of measuring retail electric providers in competitive markets, examinessatisfaction among residential customers of 86 ranked retail electric providers in nine states across five keyfactors: price; communications; corporate citizenship; enrollment/renewal; and customer service. Anadditional factor, billing and payment, is measured in Texas.1 Satisfaction is calculated in a 1,000-pointscale.Overall satisfaction with retail electric providers (REP) in Texas is 715, an increase of 9 points from 706 in2014. Satisfaction in the other eight states included in the study is 632, an improvement of 6 points from626 in 2014. While Texas ranks highest overall, Pennsylvania (664) ranks highest among the other eightstates.“Energy providers are challenged by a rapidly evolving energy marketplace and fewer customers areshopping for an alternative electricity supplier,” said Jeff Conklin, senior director of the energy practiceat J.D. Power. “In this environment, it is even more vital to differentiate the customer experience onsomething other than price to increase retention and improve market share.”With fewer customers shopping for electricity, it is critical for providers to focus on understanding andaddressing evolving customer expectations in such areas as enrollment and communication in order to setthemselves apart. Among retail electric customers, 59 percent prefer enrolling online, yet only 37 percentof customers who selected a new provider within the past 12 months enrolled online via the providerwebsite or a retail provider choice site. To satisfy prospective customers, providers need to ensure theirwebsite is easy to navigate, informative and makes it easy to complete the sign-up process the first time.1Texas retail electric provider residential customer satisfaction measurement, now in its eighth year, includes an additional factor,billing and payment, which may affect comparisons to other states.(Page 1 of 3)(Page 1 of 11)

Initiating follow-up communications—e.g., welcome kit, price/services offered and contract terms—withnew customers is another opportunity for retail providers to stand out as well as to increase satisfaction.Among newly enrolled customers, satisfaction is significantly higher when providers follow up vs. whenthey do not (740 vs. 597, respectively). Fewer newly enrolled customers receive follow-up contact fromtheir provider in 2015 than in 2014 (60% vs. 65%, respectively).KEY FINDINGS Providing an outstanding customer experience can generate high levels of advocacy andretention. The study finds that 57 percent of highly satisfied retail customers (overallsatisfaction scores of 900 or higher) say they “definitely will” renew their contract, and 62percent say they “definitely will” recommend their retail electric provider. In contrast, only 21percent of dissatisfied customers (scores of 550 or less) say they “definitely will” renew andonly 3 percent say they “definitely will” recommend. Overall, only 23 percent of customers plan to switch from their local electric distributioncompany in the next three months. The three most frequently cited reasons customers avoidswitching to a retail electric provider include the bill savings are not big enough to switch(44%); they are satisfied with the level of service they presently get from their local utility(37%); and they are concerned about getting worse service if they were to switch (26%). Of therespondents who said bill savings aren’t big enough to switch, more than one-fourth (28%) saidthey would consider switching if they know they would save up to 20 a month.Retail electric provider study rankings by state are:Connecticut: Ambit Energy ranks highest in Connecticut with a score of 689 and performs particularly wellin the price and enrollment/renewal factors. Connecticut Gas & Electric (657) and ConEdison Solutions(645) follow Ambit Energy in the rankings, performing above the Connecticut average (623).Illinois: AEP Energy ranks highest in Illinois with a score of 724, performing particularly well in the price,enrollment/renewal and communications factors. Following AEP Energy in the rankings are Liberty Power(718) and Nordic Energy (709), performing above the Illinois average (631).Maryland: Maryland is not ranked this year due to insufficient sample.Massachusetts: Viridian Energy ranks highest in Massachusetts with a score of 682 and performsparticularly well in the customer service factor. Massachusetts Gas & Electric (637) and Direct Energy(626) follow in the rankings, performing above the Massachusetts average (625).New Jersey: New Jersey Gas & Electric ranks highest in New Jersey with a score of 657 and performsparticularly well in the communications factor. Ambit Energy (656) and North American Power (655)follow in the rankings, performing above the New Jersey average (645).New York: Green Mountain Energy ranks highest in New York with a score of 684 and performsparticularly well in the communications, corporate citizenship and customer service factors. Agway Energy(665) and NOCO Electric (650) follow Green Mountain Energy in the rankings, performing above the NewYork average (621).(Page 2 of 3)(Page 2 of 11)

Ohio: IGS Energy ranks highest in Ohio with a score of 642 and performs particularly well in the price andcustomer service factors. Direct Energy (637) ranks second, followed by DPL Energy Resources and DP&LEnergy (629), performing above the Ohio average (617).Pennsylvania: ConEdison Solutions ranks highest in Pennsylvania with a score of 698 and performsparticularly well in the price factor. Ambit Energy (695) and AEP Energy (688) follow ConEdison Solutionsin the rankings, performing above the Pennsylvania average (664).Texas: Champion Energy Services ranks highest in Texas with a score of 766 and performs particularlywell in the billing & payment and communications factors. Green Mountain Energy (754) and BounceEnergy (752) follow Champion Energy Services in the rankings, performing above the Texas average (715).The 2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from21,744 electric retail residential customers of the 86 ranked retail electric providers in nine statesregarding their experiences with their retail electric provider. Online interviews were conducted August2014 through June 2015.Media Relations ContactsJeff Perlman; Brandware Public Relations; Woodland Hills, Calif.; 818-598-1115;jperlman@brandwarepr.comJohn Tews; J.D. Power; Troy, Mich.; 248-680-6218; media.relations@jdpa.comAbout J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-infoAbout McGraw Hill Financial www.mhfi.com###Note: Eight charts follow.(Page 3 of 3)(Page 3 of 11)

J.D. Power2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer SatisfactionStudySMYear / Project / Study NameConnecticut(Based on a 1,000-point scale)500550600650700Ambit Energy689Connecticut Gas & Electric657ConEdison Solutions645Direct Energy633Connecticut Average623North American Power621Public PowerEnergy PlusJDPower.comPower Circle RatingsTMfor consumers:750617599Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to small sample size are NRG Homeand Verde Energy (Low Cost Power).Source: J.D. Power 2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySMPower Circle Ratings LegendAmong the bestBetter than mostAbout averageThe restCharts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifyingJ.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in th isrelease or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.(Page 4 of 3)(Page 4 of 11)

J.D. Power2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer SatisfactionStudySMYear / Project / Study NameIllinois(Based on a 1,000-point scale)500550600650JDPower.comPower Circle RatingsTMfor consumers:750700AEP Energy724Liberty Power718Nordic Energy709Ambit Energy705IGS Energy649Direct Energy648Energy Plus636MC Squared Energy636Illinois Average631Spark Energy621FirstEnergy Solutions620ConstellationIntegrys EnergyHomefield Energy616594585Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to small sample size are NRG Home,Verde Energy (Low Cost Power) and Viridian Energy.Note: Integrys Energy is now a part of Constellation as of April 2015.Source: J.D. Power 2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySMPower Circle Ratings LegendAmong the bestBetter than mostAbout averageThe restCharts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifyingJ.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in th isrelease or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.(Page 5 of 3)(Page 5 of 11)

J.D. Power2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer SatisfactionStudySMYear / Project / Study NameMassachusetts(Based on a 1,000-point scale)500550600650Viridian Energy682Massachusetts Gas & Electric637Direct Energy626Massachusetts Average625Energy PlusJust EnergyNRG Home700JDPower.comPower Circle RatingsTMfor consumers:750618605593Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to small sample size are ConEdisonSolutions, Green Mountain Energy and Liberty Power.Source: J.D. Power 2015 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySMPower Circle Ratings LegendAmong the bestBetter than mostAbout averageThe restCharts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifyingJ.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in th isrelease or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.(Page 6 of 3)(Page 6 of 11)