State Farm to provide free tech to detect electrical fires before they start

Electrical fires - wires in wall

The Ting sensors are able to spot hazards before they have the opportunity to spark a blaze.

Electrical fires comprise about 13 percent of all blazes that affect homes. They kill hundreds of people every year and result in almost $1.3 billion in home damage every year, according to a National Fire Protection Association 2019 Survey.

State Farm has invested in Whisker Labs and will provide the Ting Sensor to its home customers.

The Ting sensor technology is meant to help mitigate hazards associated with electrical fires in homes. It does so by detecting potential problems before they have the chance to spark a blaze. In this way, they provide a type of complementary service alongside homeowners insurance coverage. A State Farm news release announcing the rollout of the program called it a “proactive instead of reactive solution.”

Last year, the first wave of the program was rolled out, making insurance news headlines at the time, providing the devices to eligible customers in California, Arizona, and Texas. All tolled, more than 40,000 devices were distributed among State Farm policyholders. The news report stated that this brought about “numerous success stories and, in many cases, fire loss prevention.”

There are many different forms of detection for electrical fires provided by the Ting sensor.

This includes everything from sensing clear arcing signals from a specific lighting unit to identifying a sub-panel’s missing neutral connection or detecting the type of arcing signals that are consistent with the presence of water interacting with the electrical system.

After a successful initial rollout of the Ting devices, the insurance company is now expanding the offering to more of its customers. It plans to offer another 100,000 Ting devices throughout 2021 and 2022. These will be offered to customers who have non-tenant homeowners’ insurance policies. Moreover, they will be offered to customers in a larger number of states. The first among the new states to be offered the devices is Ohio, which received its first round of marketing for the free gadgets starting yesterday.

Electrical fires - wires in wallThe electrical fires prevention program includes a free Ting sensor and accompanying mobile app, three years of free service, paid for by State Farm, a $1,000 credit toward hazard remediation through Whisker Labs.

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