Households and commercial businesses are very satisfied with the services provided by the gas network operators
Vienna (OTS) – Austrian gas customers continue to be very satisfied with the services of their gas network operators; the speculation that is currently flaring up again about possible bottlenecks and associated price increases as well as negative campaigns on the subject of gas are not changing this. This is currently shown by the annual opinion survey carried out by the market research company marketmind GmbH on behalf of the Austrian Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW).
More than 1,800 interviews were carried out with random samples of household and commercial customers across Austria. According to the survey, the gas network operators are classified as extremely reliable (mean value 1.34 on a school grade scale of 1 to 5). The security offered (mean value 1.42) and the quality of the service (mean value 1.46) are also rated very positively.
„Despite ongoing negative campaigns related to natural gas, our customers continue to be very satisfied with our services and the high security of gas supply. We are particularly pleased by this appreciation for our efforts and it also shows how important our own experiences continue to be in forming opinions
“, explains Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Wagenhofer, Managing Director of Gas Connect Austria and spokesman for the ÖVGW gas department, praised the positive results.
Reliable, safe and competent
From the perspective of those surveyed, gas is available at all times without any problems (mean value 1.30). The technical competence of the gas network operator with regard to the security of the gas network (mean value 1.31) is rated highly. Deadlines for meter reading and installation or maintenance work are reliably adhered to (mean value 1.34).
Green gas – awareness is increasing
Since 2019, questions have also been asked about renewable or green gas. Knowledge about the presence of green gas in the gas network is continuously increasing from year to year. This year, 49 percent of respondents said they had already heard that green gas was available in the gas network (in 2020 it was only 25%, in 2021 36% and in 2022 43% of respondents). In addition, 14 percent say they already use green gas in their own household, which represents a significant increase of 5% compared to the previous year. This year, for the first time, questions were asked about the reasons why green gas is not used, which is mainly due to a lack of information about the existing offer and your own choices. Green gas is only too expensive for 10 percent of those surveyed. Those surveyed primarily cited environmental friendliness and climate protection as the advantages of green gas; production in Austria and independence from foreign countries also play a role.
While the ÖVGW continues to work intensively on the technical requirements for the transport and use of hydrogen and has already issued the first guidelines, the Gas Heat Association is continuously campaigning for a reliable legal framework for green gases that supports the urgently necessary investments in production, transport and… Storage enabled. “Green gases such as biomethane and hydrogen are a central key to the successful decarbonization of our energy system. That’s why we work across Europe on implementation projects along the entire value chain from production, transport, storage to consumption. As a gas network operator, we also actively make advance payments for this. However, politicians urgently need a suitable, technology-open legal framework for hydrogen and biomethane, just as with green electricity, in order to secure long-term investments and increase the feed of biomethane into the gas network as quickly as possible
“, emphasizes Wagenhofer.
Despite the intensive information activities of the Gas Heat Association and the ÖVGW, a large proportion of those surveyed (58%) still feel (too) little informed about green gas. However, the positive trend of recent years continues and this year the subjective level of information has improved again. All new developments and basic facts about green gas can be found on the completely renewed website gruenes-gas.at. A special recommendation: check out the “energetic” Video by Science Buster Dr. Martin Moder which not only imparts a huge amount of knowledge about green gases in just a few minutes, but is also extremely entertaining.
Studiendetails
Nine out of a total of 21 Austrian gas network operators took part in the study, which was carried out by marketmind GmbH on behalf of ÖVGW.
Sample size: 1,814 interviews in total, random sample of 200 to 203 of all customers (household and commercial up to a maximum of 50,000kWh/year) of the respective distribution network operator
Method: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews); Five-point scales were used, with 1 meaning “very satisfied” and 5 “not at all satisfied”.
Implementation period: July to October 2023
About the ÖVGW
The Austrian Association for Gas and Water (ÖVGW) is the voluntary representation of Austrian gas network operators and water supply companies. It counts all gas network operators and over 280 companies in the water sector among its members. Through cooperation with regional associations, the ÖVGW represents more than 2,000 water suppliers. These supply around 80 percent of the population with drinking water.
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW)
Ing. Bernhard Pichler, MSc
pichler@ovgw.at
+43 (0)1 513 15 88-21