Increasing awareness among end users of the need for surge-protection devices for their sensitive home electronics and appliances has led to a growing market for these devices, which can be plugged into outlets or attached at the meter. Utilities are responding and customers are buying.

The percentage of North American utilities offering residential surge suppression has soared from 15% in 1997 to 50% in 2002, according to the “Residential Surge Protection” report published by Chartwell Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.).

In addition, in 2002 another 9% of utilities said they were in the planning stages of offering surge suppression and 13% were considering doing so, for a total of 72% of utilities taking some action on this ancillary offering. Chartwell surveyed 50 random utilities about their various products and services in March 2002.

The utilities interviewed also rank surge suppression among their most popular and most profitable residential ancillary offering. Surge suppression came in at No. 2 for “most profitable” in both the 2001 and 2002 Chartwell surveys.

In addition to data and analysis, the 38-page Chartwell report includes two detailed utility case studies, one on Cinergy's award-winning surge-protection marketing strategies, and the other on Tampa Electric's program, which met with great success only after being revamped. The report also profiles several vendors that offer whole-house and outlet-based surge-protection devices.
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