Survey Says Utility Preparedness Subpar

A recent survey by Itron Inc. of 300 utility leaders and 500 customers revealed a growing amount of concern over utility preparedness due to the increasing frequency of severe weather.  According to the survey, the number of global disasters has increased by over 400% in the last 50 years, and this cold hard reality is reflected in the survey results.  

Indications of Reduced Confidence in Utility Preparedness

The survey and the associated report, titled “Disaster Preparedness: Itron Resourcefulness Insight Report,” had a number of interesting results:

• A whopping 87% of consumer respondents were impacted by a disaster in the past 5 years
• Only a third of consumer respondents feel highly confident that their utility is well-prepared for an emergency
• Half of consumer respondents claimed they would be willing to pay more in order to increase utility preparedness (this is likely a good example of the disconnect between what people say and what they do!)
• Nearly 70% of utility respondents are more worried about a disaster now versus just 5 years ago

Overall, not exactly a ringing endorsement of the adequacy of utility preparedness!  This is why a growing number of people want to go “off the grid” by investing in local generation like solar power.  But for everyone else, the survey results reveal an interesting opportunity to boost confidence in preparedness. 

One of the clearest examples to boost confidence is focusing on public relations to tout your company’s preparedness efforts.  This can go long way toward influencing perception.  In my view, irrespective of the survey results, this is critical to reduce both customer and regulator scrutiny during emergency situations. 

The beauty of leveraging PR efforts is that it doesn’t require a ton of resources or funding.  You don’t need to invest in storm hardening, for example, to communicate to customers in a way that highlights the things that the company does well. 

In the final analysis, perception is reality when it comes to everything in life – including utility preparedness – and luckily, steps can be taken to influence this perception in positive way.