SMUD first to receive J.D. Power’s electric utility sustainability designation
In recognition of SMUD’s customer service and vision for a carbon-free power supply by 2030, J.D. Power, a global leader in consumer insights and analytics, presented SMUD with its first-ever Power Certified Sustainability Leader designation.
Wednesday’s announcement of the exclusive J.D. Power designation speaks to SMUD’s track record of deep customer engagement, broad public awareness and strong advocacy surrounding energy programs and goals outlined in the 2030 Zero Carbon Plan, which will eliminate carbon emissions from the region’s power supply by the end of the decade.
“We’re proud to be leading the way toward a carbon-free economy and are honored with this J.D. Power certification,” said SMUD CEO and General Manager Paul Lau. “Our goals are to achieve ambitious sustainability results, while partnering with our customers to do the same. Through SMUD’s comprehensive Zero Carbon Plan, SMUD can continue to be a national and global leader for sustainability and carbon-free energy solutions that inspire change.”
To qualify for the J.D. Power Certified Sustainability Leader program, electric utilities must rank among the top performers in the Sustainability Index and in thorough surveys of the utility’s customers. SMUD also successfully completed a rigorous Operational Performance Assessment (OPA). The OPA assesses performance against recommended sustainability best practices that are grouped into four categories: management and leadership, resilience and adaptability, climate change mitigation and customer engagement and advocacy.
Over the next eight years, SMUD will continue to transform where the region’s power comes from. The 2030 Zero Carbon Plan is a wide-ranging blueprint toward a clean energy future that will retool or retire thermal plants, significantly increase the amount of renewable energy sources and battery storage, adopt new technologies that invite the community at-large to directly participate in carbon-reducing activities and expand partnerships and grant opportunities to offset costs and keep rates low.
This year, SMUD launched its first utility-scale battery storage facility in South Sacramento. With a capacity of four megawatts of electricity and eight megawatt hours of storage, it is enough clean renewable energy to power 800 homes. SMUD is on course to install up to 1,100 megawatts of new local short-duration battery storage by 2030.
SMUD will also invest $25 million to incentivize solar plus storage adoption with customer perks ranging between $500 and $2,500.
SMUD will achieve zero carbon in an inclusive and equitable manner through incentives, low-income programs and other community-first partnerships.
About SMUD
As the nation’s sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity to Sacramento County for more than 75 years. SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. In 2020, SMUD’s power supply was more than 60 percent carbon free, and SMUD has a goal to reach zero carbon in its electricity production by 2030.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.