Customer Satisfaction Awards Energy Methodology 2023

What are Finder's Customer Satisfaction awards?

The Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards recognise Australia's favourite brands across a huge number of categories. We survey thousands of real Australians to understand how they feel about their recent product purchases to help you make a decision about what product to get. It's an independent awards program calculated by our data and insights team. Commercial partnerships do not influence the results in any way.

For energy, we have 13 awards across these 4 categories:

• Electricity providers
• Gas providers
• Solar energy providers
• Solar panels

We gave out 1 award each for the best-rated electricity provider and best-rated gas provider nationally, plus individual awards to providers in separate states. For electricity, this was across 4 states: NSW, VIC, QLD and SA. For gas, it was 5 states: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and SA.

The awards for solar energy providers and solar panels were rated nationally.

We gave out 1 overall award to the best-rated for customer satisfaction in each category, with 2 brands recognised as being highly commended.

Finder's Electricity, Gas and Solar Provider Customer Satisfaction Awards methodology

The criteria for Finder's Electricity, Gas and Solar Provider Customer Satisfaction Awards were determined by our insights teams in conjunction with our energy experts.

• The recency period for all Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards is between 3 months and 3 years depending on the category.
• We received a minimum of 35 responses for each electricity provider in each state. For gas providers in each state, it was a minimum of 25 responses. With solar energy providers, it was a minimum of 45 providers nationally.
• Respondents were asked whether they would recommend energy providers to a friend and the percentage result was then given a score out of 5. For example, if 80% of respondents said they would recommend a product, it received a score of 4 out of 5.
• Customers were asked how they would rate each provider overall on a scale between 1 and 5 as well as in terms of:
  • Customer service
  • Features and benefits
  • Ease of application
  • Value for money
  • Overall
  • For electricity providers only, customers were also asked to rate each on environmental sustainability.
• The total score ranking for each provider was calculated as an average of the 5 or 6 metrics outlined above, and the percentage of customers who were likely to recommend the provider.
• The national awards for both gas and electricity providers were determined by averaging out the total score of providers from each state.

Finder's Solar Panel Customer Satisfaction Awards methodology

• The recency period for all Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards is between 3 months and 3 years depending on the category.
• We received a minimum of 35 responses for each solar panel.
• Respondents were asked whether they would recommend solar panels to a friend and the percentage result was then given a score out of 5. For example, if 80% of respondents said they would recommend a product, it received a score of 4 out of 5.
• Customers were asked how they would rate each solar panel on a scale between 1 and 5 as well as in terms of:
  • Performance
  • Cleaning and maintenance
  • Features, functions and safety
  • Value for money
  • Overall
• The total score ranking for each solar panel was calculated as an average of the 5 metrics outlined above, and the percentage of customers who were likely to recommend the provider.

Our research in numbers

Electricity provider

• Total number of responses for electricity providers: 3,217 customers across 4 states
• Total number of brands surveyed: 13

Gas provider

• Total number of responses for gas providers: 2,025 customers across 5 states
• Total number of brands surveyed: 6

Solar energy provider

• Total number of responses for solar energy providers: 523
• Total number of brands surveyed: 6

Solar panel provider

• Total number of responses for solar panel providers: 548
• Total number of brands surveyed: 18

Written by

Cameron Micallef

Writer

Cameron Micallef was an investment and utilities writer for Finder. He previously worked on titles including Smart Property Investment, nestegg and Investor Daily, reporting across superannuation, property and investments. Cameron has a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies/ Commerce from the University of Wollongong. Outside of work Cameron is passionate about all things sports and travel. See full bio

Cameron's expertise

Cameron has written 162 Finder guides across topics including:

• Energy
• Mobile
• Internet
• Streaming

Co-written by

Mark Neilsen

Utilities writer

Mark Neilsen is a writer at Finder, specialising in streaming, broadband and mobile. He looks for deals on all those services and keeps you abreast of any changes to see what's worth it for you. He has over 20 years' experience in print and digital media and while at Finder, Mark’s expertise has been featured in Yahoo Finance, The New Daily, Ad News, Tech Guide and news.com.au. In his time at Finder he has done over 300 articles on streaming, mobile and broadband. In his time away from Finder he is trying to get through the watchlists of the 11 streaming services he is currently subscribed to. See full bio

Mark's expertise

Mark has written 53 Finder guides across topics including:

• Entertainment streaming
• Sports streaming
• Broadband
• Mobile