Aging Utilities and Leaks Create Risk
There are 2.4 million miles of natural gas pipelines which transports gas throughout the United States and 177 million Americans depend on this vast network heat their homes. Utilities and industries work hard to maintain a safe system but sometimes accidents occur or a potential threat goes unnoticed. Incidents caused by aging infrastructure and accidents expose us to increasing risks.
- Incidents involving natural gas pipelines still cause an average of 17 fatalities, 5o injuries and $133 million in property damage annually.
- In 2014, the National Fire Protection Agency reported that fire departments responded to over 3,200 gas-related residency fires, 2,000 of which where linked to natural gas
- Many gas accidents involve utilities and the culprits are often homeowners or construction workers damaging or cutting lines.
- 54% of the time ordinary citizens were hurt, while 31% of cases involved employees at companies working with the gas and 12% involved firefighters.
- Most often, gas leaks come from badly maintained or poorly fitted appliances, 15 million of which were recalled in the past decade.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
A study by the Virginia Mason Medical Center found:
- Approximately 6,600 individuals are estimated to sustain long-term cognitive sequela annually, with total loss in earnings of approximately $925 million;
- 334 individuals die from accidental, non-fire related CO poisoning with an average loss of 26 years of productivity accounting for $355 million;
- 2,800 are hospitalized with acute medical care costs of $33 million;
- Accidental CO poisoning in the US conservatively costs society over $1.3 billion, resulting from direct hospital costs and lost earnings.
Home Automation in the Age of Smart Homes
Aegis is a smart system and provides for integration into existing smart home networked systems Smart homes are here to stay and the Aegis joins the suite of home automation technology bringing greater security to your home. Similar to a security system, the Aegis protects against the invasion of emission risks to your health and property, and can mitigate the costs of homeowner insurance while protecting your assets. The Aegis 400 Home-Plus puts the power of emissions management into the in the hands of the homeowner.