ATLANTA – For the fifth consecutive year, Southern Company rated highest in customer satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey of residential customers representing 29 utilities across the United States. Southern Company also ranked second highest among all companies in the 2004 first quarter survey.

The ACSI survey is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. The recent first quarter survey results reported customer satisfaction scores for thirteen industries: parcel delivery & express mail, U.S. Postal Service, airlines, telecommunications/fixed line, telecommunications/wireless service, cell phones, broadcasting/TV network news, telecommunications/cable & satellite TV, energy utilities, publishing/newspapers, hotels, hospitals and motion pictures.

Scores in the survey are based on a 100-point scale. Federal Express (83), Southern Company (81) and United Parcel Service (80) were the highest scoring companies in the recent first quarter survey and the only companies receiving scores in the 80s.

“Our company’s financial success is tied to the satisfaction of our customers,” said Leonard Haynes, Southern Company’s chief marketing officer. “It is one of our corporate goals to continue to lead the industry in customer service and satisfaction by providing our customers with outstanding service, high reliability and competitive prices.”

In 2003, Southern Company tied with Federal Express for the highest satisfaction score among all companies in the first quarter ACSI survey.

Also, Southern Company has scored in the top two positions among all companies in the first quarter ACSI surveys for the past three years.

With more than 4 million customers and nearly 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a growing competitive generation company, an energy services business and a competitive retail natural gas business, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has been named three consecutive years No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” list in the Electric and Gas Utility industry. Southern Company has been ranked the nation’s top energy utility in the American Customer Satisfaction Index five years in a row. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

# # #