Security Sales & Integration

September2013

SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.

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TECHNOLOGY The Shocking Truth About POW P ortions of the Maui airport went black when chickens got into a power transformer and shorted it out. A rat caused a power outage in the cooling towers at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. A power outage caused by a malfunctioning switch disrupted play for more than 30 minutes during the Super Bowl. A reckless driver ran into a power pole and knocked out electricity for half a city outside of Philadelphia. Residents in Oak Lawn, Ill., sued their power company due to a surge that caused damage to thousands of electronic devices. And then there is the power havoc created by Mother Nature in the name of Sandy, Isaac, Andrew and Katrina, not to mention hundreds of tornados and thousands of damaging lightning strikes that occur every year. Te list of causes of power glitches is long and perhaps interesting to read about, but they are highly annoying for those businesses and residents that must endure them. Beyond mere annoyance, however, are the costs and potential 134 / SECURITYSALES.COM / SEPTEMBER 2013 liabilities associated with power issues — particularly where it comes to security systems. According to Electrical Power Research Institute, an estimated $105 billion to $164 billion goes down the drain annually due to power interruptions, while another $15 billion to $24 billion is lost as a result of poor power quality such as voltage fuctuations, power surges and spikes. According to Frost & Sullivan, every year 72% of businesses in the United States are afected by power cuts that interrupt critical operations. International Data Corporation estimates that companies lose an average of $84,000 for every hour of downtime. Of course, the raw cost and total impact varies from business to business, but no matter how you measure it or what statistics you use, power anomalies are costly to both businesses and consumers. Liability issues also come into play during power outages or when equipment is damaged because of a surge or spike. All electrical components in a security system require power, and when power is not present, businesses, campuses and even residences become vulnerable. When a customer enters

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