Animal Outage Prevention

According to the American Public Power Association, squirrels are among the top causes of power outages across the United States. Depending on your geographic region, there may be no “quiet” season - squirrels and other “Critters” can be active all year long.
Since you’re reading this - you already know the damage these critters can do and the cost, downtime, and nuisance it is to deal with the aftermath of an outage. Nowhere is the statement “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” so relevant as it is with animal outages.
This article takes an in-depth look at how a simple idea spawned a successful business known as Critter Guard and has become the go-to animal mitigation product for many electrical and telecom utilities around the world.

Background
In the fall of 2001, the inventor of the Critter Guard product family found that squirrels were using the above-ground electrical service entrance cable to access a family member’s roof and attic. The squirrels had done more than $6,500 in damage to the roof. Later, they found out insurance did not cover damage caused by rodents. They also found out squirrels and other rodents and pests not only cause residential damage, but they are the second leading cause of power outages in the US, and responsible for billions of dollars of utility downtime and repair costs according to the US Dept of Energy. With some good old-fashioned creativeness and design engineering, Line Guard, and Pole Guard were born.

Read full article in the Special SUBSTATIONS Issue