SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/28/09 -- For the fourth consecutive year, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has been recognized with PA Consulting Group's ReliabilityOne(TM) award for top service reliability among Western U.S. electric utilities.

"To be recognized as the 'best in the West' for reliability four years in a row is a testament to our employees' hard work, dedication and commitment to keeping the power flowing to our customers every day," said David L. Geier, vice president of electric transmission and distribution for SDG&E.

All utilities operating electric delivery networks in North America are eligible for consideration for the ReliabilityOne™ award. There are a total of five regional awards including Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Plains and West; and one to a community utility.

The selection of provisional recipients is based primarily on system reliability statistics that measure the frequency and duration of customer outages. After provisional recipients are selected, each company undergoes an on-site certification process, which provides an independent review of the policies, processes and systems used to collect, analyze and report a company's reliability results.

"This year's ReliabilityOne(TM) winners continue to set the industry bar for electric system reliability, implementation of exciting new technologies, and total commitment to the safe and effective restoration for customers," said Jeff Lewis, PA's ReliabilityOne(TM) program director. "San Diego Gas & Electric is among the top utilities in the country when it comes to keeping the lights on."

PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology consulting firm. Operating worldwide in more than 35 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience of 3,000 people, whose skills extend from the initial generation of ideas, insights and solutions all the way through to detailed implementation.

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.