Following research that included a region by region analysis of blackouts in the UK during 2011, Eaton has warned that, despite the thunderstorm season having passed, blackouts are just as likely to occur in the winter months as in the summer months.
The company’s research highlighted that power blackouts in the winter are different from those associated with the summer period, but that this does not translate into a reduction in the prevalence of blackouts.
As would be expected, the level of lightning strikes is reduced in winter, but other weather related risk factors, such as damage to overhead power lines by gales and by excessive loading with ice and snow, increase.
As a result Eaton has stressed that blackouts should be a year-round concern, especially as its research shows that over 33% of businesses take more than a day to recover from a power outage and suffer financial losses ranging from around £12,000 to in excess of £300,000.
Businesses can put in place measures that will protect them against blackouts, and the key element of the solution is to install an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. Go to Eaton’s website for more information.
