Southern Company ranked Highest in Overall Customer Satisfaction for electric service to residential customers in the southern United States, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates study.

In a formal presentation today at Southern Company’s headquarters in Atlanta, Jamey Power, Chairman of J.D. Power and Associates, presented the customer service award to Leonard Haynes, chief marketing officer of Southern Company.

“We are honored to receive this award from J.D. Power and Associates because it shows our residential customers are pleased with the service we provide to them,” said Haynes. “Customer service is a key component of our overall business philosophy. Southern Company is committed to providing outstanding customer service and high reliability while keeping prices significantly below the national average,” Haynes added.

The 2001 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on 25,501 interviews with residential customers of the 71 largest electric utilities throughout the continental United States. The responses were collected through telephone interviews during March, April and May of 2001. The study is independently funded and conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.

Southern Company’s high customer satisfaction rating among residential customers complements the company’s customer satisfaction recognition in a separate J.D. Power and Associates study earlier this year. In that study, Southern Company was ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction among midsize business customers in the south. This is the second consecutive year that Southern Company has received the award based on interviewed representatives from more than 7,200 midsize businesses throughout the United States. Customers gave Southern Company the highest ratings for company image, price and value, and power quality and reliability. The company also received the highest customer satisfaction index score among all utilities included in the study.

Headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on actual customer responses.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a super-regional energy company with more than 32,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Southeast. It is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, Savannah Electric, Southern Nuclear, Southern Company Energy Solutions, Southern LINC, Southern Telecom and Southern Power, which includes the company`s growing competitive generation business in the Southeast. Southern Company brands are synonymous with excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. With more than 500,000 shareholders, Southern Company common stock is one of the most widely held stocks in the United States.