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5 nationally
In the national 2025 J.D. Power Residential Customer Service Satisfaction Study announced this week, Lafayette- based SLEMCO ranked fifth out of the nation’s largest electric cooperatives. Residential customers in over 109 million households scored 152 of the largest electric utilities in the nation in key categories – cost, trust, safety & reliability, employee workforce, problem resolution, communication and more.
SLEMCO’s overall score of 601 outpaced the national cooperative average of 566 for electric cooperatives.
SLEMCO CEO Katherine Domingue puts credit for the extraordinary national ranking where she feels credit is most due, “Our employees are the face of who we are.
Collectively, they have earned this ranking. Going the extra mile for our customers is simply what we do here. It is what we’ve always done because it is who we are. We are thrilled and humbled that our customers recognize and appreciate our efforts.”
The 2025 study also noted that nationwide, across all types of power providers, satisfaction scores were down overall – due primarily to increased costs for generated power. With huge data centers gobbling up existing generation capacity, the law of supply and demand is affecting virtually every power provider and therefore every customer, in the nation.
The good news? According to the US Energy Information Administration, Louisiana electric rates are among the lowest in the nation, averaging 12.3 cents per kWh, while the national average is 18.07 cents per kWh. That’s a 32% difference, which is great news for Louisiana families.
The not-so-good news? With higher temperatures and heat factored into the equation, folks living in Louisiana, and the South in general, tend to use more kWh each month to stay cool regardless of who provides their power. That can mean higher overall electric bills for families and businesses. Attention to things like thermostat settings on HVACsystems or reducing usage of other major equipment like hot tubs, pool pumps and electric water heaters can help lower consumption.
“We know that the monthly electric utility bill accounts for a significant part of every family budget,” said Domingue. “Until power supply issues settle down and new generation plants can be built, conservation will be the name of the game for anyone wanting to keep their electric bills as low as possible.”
