The most relevant KPIs will vary slightly depending on whether you focus on electricity, gas, water, or a combination of services.

Reliability & Safety KPIs

• SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index): Measures average outage duration per customer. Lower SAIDI means better reliability.
• SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index): Average number of interruptions a customer experiences. Lower is better.
• CAIDI (Customer Average Interruption Duration Index): Average length of an outage for customers who actually experience one (SAIDI/SAIFI).
• Safety Incident Rate: Number of workplace injuries or accidents. Safety is always a top priority.
• OSHA Recordable Incident Rate: Number of OSHA-recordable injuries or illnesses per 200,000 hours. Tracks serious incidents.

Operational Efficiency KPIs

• Line Losses: Percentage of energy lost during transmission and distribution due to technical factors. Minimizing losses improves efficiency.
• Unaccounted for Water/Gas: Percentage of water or gas that is produced but not billed due to leaks, theft, or meter inaccuracies.
• Workforce Productivity: Track work orders completed per employee or other output metrics relevant to your utility.
• Asset Utilization: How efficiently your infrastructure (power plants, pipelines, treatment facilities) is being used.
• Maintenance Costs: Track spending on upkeep, repair, and preventative maintenance of your utility infrastructure.

Customer-Focused KPIs

• Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSAT): Measure satisfaction with service reliability, pricing, billing, customer service interactions, etc.
• Bill Payment Timeliness: Track percentage of bills paid on time. Late payments impact cash flow.
• New Customer Connections: Measures growth in your customer base.
• Call Center Metrics: Average wait times, call resolution rates, etc., for your customer service call centers.

Financial KPIs

• Earnings Per Share (EPS): Indicates profitability for investors in public utilities.
• Return on Equity (ROE): Net income divided by shareholder equity. A vital measure of profitability for investors.
• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: Measures financial leverage, important as utilities often have high capital expenditures.
• Operating Expense Ratio: Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. Helps control costs and maximize profitability.
• Revenue per Customer: Average revenue generated per customer, useful for tracking across different customer segments.

Environmental KPIs

• Carbon Emissions: Measure emissions (often in tons of CO2 equivalent) from your utility operations, especially important for power generation.
• Renewable Energy Portfolio: Percentage of energy generated or sourced from renewable sources. Important for energy transition.
• Water Conservation: Track any initiatives or results in reducing water usage or promoting water conservation among customers.