Our electricity network services commended for their reliability

EPSI survey results:

• This year’s results indicate that there are exceptionally large differences in customer satisfaction between network companies.
• With its 59.9 rating in customer satisfaction among consumers, Oulun Energia Sähköverkko Oy rated above the industry average (56.4). Among the businesses rated in the survey, we ranked ninth. And among business customers, we ranked second at 72.9, with the industry average at 63.7.
• All customers praised our electricity network services for security of supply and reliability in particular.
• On the other hand, customers hoped for improved and more active disruption-related communications. The functionality and content of digital services also rated slightly below survey average.

In SEEDI competitiveness analysis results:

• Compared to last year, we saw improved ratings across all five adaptability themes, i.e. addressing issues, trust, innovative R&D, communications and response time. We made the most progress in the area of trust, and we now clearly exceed the survey database average.
• Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) stood at a fairly good +29 (on a scale of +100 to –100), with the database average at +36. This is the first time that NPS was used a metric in the competitiveness analysis for electricity network services.
• According to our business customers, Oulun Energia Sähköverkko Oy's strengths include security of supply, strong local identity and reliability. Security of supply has become our number one strength.
• Fewer areas for improvement were identified in the survey. Focus on customer service continues to be an important theme.

Security of supply of our district heating service and smooth customer experience recognised as strengths

EPSI survey results:

• At 70.1, the total rating for Oulu Energy's district heating stood slightly below industry average (73.1). We ranked tenth among consumer customers and took a proud second place among business customers.
• Customers praised our district heating services particularly for security of supply as well as an easy and effortless customer experience.
• On the other hand, customers hoped for better and more active communication for disruptions, and the functionality and content of our digital services also rated below survey average.
• What’s more, especially our consumer customers hoped for a more personal approach to customer communications and a more proactive showcasing of products and services.

SEEDI competitiveness analysis results:

• Compared to last year, we saw improved ratings across all five adaptability themes, i.e. addressing issues, trust, innovative R&D, communications and response time. According to survey results, we made the most progress in response time, meaning that we responded faster to our customers and were able to make decisions more quickly.
• Our Net Promoter Score stood at fairly good +28 (on a scale of +100 to –100), a slight decrease from last year's +31.
• According to our business customers, the strengths of our district heating include reliability and security of supply. The environmental image of our district heating also improved from last year. Based on the analysis, we are also happy to report that our business customers are showing interest in our expert and installation services.
• Fewer areas of improvement were identified compared to last year. Our customers hoped for better communication, for instance.

Our focus areas going forward

Both studies provide highly valuable feedback for developing our services, and we plan to take action accordingly. For instance, we have recently launched a new digital customer channel, the OE Digital Service, which we will develop further based on customer feedback and user experience. In addition to monitoring your electricity consumption and production and providing a

transparent view to your invoices and electricity connections, we expect to add various service processes to the OE Digital Service, providing a customer experience with as many channels as possible.

In addition to serving customers via phone and email, we will also be adding a customer service chat in 2025. We will provide more information concerning the chat service as we near deployment.

In terms of our electricity network services, our development work focuses on improving operational efficiency, security of supply and transmission capacity as well as forecasting the power demand of our customers and sustaining close cooperation with them. We have already installed new smart meters to 27,000 places of use, and the work is expected to continue until 2028. The new meters will provide our customers with better real-time measurement data based on a 15-minute settlement period as well as a new home automation interface, a so-called HAN port.

We maintain the security of supply and energy efficiency of our district heating by renovating the parts of our network that are reaching their end of life. Starting in early 2025, we will start replacing our customers' district heat meters. We will also improve the sustainability of our district heating system and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by, for instance, utilising more electric boilers and renewable energy sources in our district heat production.

The results of the survey indicated that the intensifying competition and increasing comparisons between heating solutions slightly diminished the image of district heating, especially with consumer customers. District heating in Oulu remains a competitive option, ranking among the more affordable options when comparing costs between larger cities. Based on a regional price comparison conducted in July 2024, district heating supplied by Oulu Energy is the most affordable option for apartment buildings and terraced houses and the third most affordable for detached houses. We continue to work hard to ensure that district heating remains a competitive option in Oulu for all types of properties.