A customer survey has ranked Statoil subsidiary Alliance Gas in second place among Britain's gas marketing companies.
Shell comes top in this major independent study of service to industrial and commercial gas customers, with BP Gas placed third.
Based on work done in July-September, these results appear in the annual Sales and Marketing Strategies - Customer Satisfaction Levels Among Major Gas Users report from survey specialist MarketLine.
Sixty-two companies in the UK gas sector are ranked by 12 criteria, with more than 3,000 industrial and commercial gas customers being polled.
A total of 13 companies attracted sufficient responses in each category for a representative overview to be formed.
The survey focused on such criteria as price, service quality, marketing materials and account managers.
Alliance Gas topped the list for marketing materials, presentation of tenders and contract documents, on-line payment options and service quality.
But the report notes that this company has scope for further improvement, not least in energy management provision.
"This survey confirms that we're regarded as a quality company and forms a good starting point for further growth, reinforcing our position as a leading player in the UK industrial and commercial gas market," says Sue Simms, managing director of the London-based company.
She notes that room for improvement nevertheless remains in certain areas, and says the focus will be on these in future.
Alliance Gas is the sixth-largest commercial gas supplier in the UK, and delivers more than 1.3 billion cubic metres of gas per year to over 2,000 customers. It also ranks as one of the most active players in Britain's spot market for gas.