RALEIGH, N.C. … Every day in the United States, thousands of Americans experience an interruption to their electrical service in homes, businesses and public sector organizations. Eaton Corporation, a diversified industrial manufacturer and recognized leader in power quality, distribution and control, has created a nationwide Blackout Tracker that provides a snapshot of reported power outages.

Since February 2008, Eaton has monitored power outages across the country with the purpose of creating an interactive and educational resource to showcase information about the causes and impact of power outages. From burrowing animals and human errors to extreme weather and vandalism, power can go down without warning from a variety of causes. This information is now captured and accessible at Eaton’s online Blackout Tracker (www.powerware.com/blackouttracker).

“Eaton’s Blackout Tracker provides a single source of information regarding reported power outages that can be used by the media, businesses, bloggers or anyone that has an interest,” said Mike DeCamp, marketing strategist, Eaton’s Distributed Power Quality Business Unit . “When visitors view the Blackout Tracker, one question quickly becomes top-of-mind, ‘Am I protected from the unexpected?’ People will be surprised to learn of the random causes and frequency for power outages.”

On the Blackout Tracker, a map of the United States is divided into several geographic regions. Site visitors can view a region or individual state to see specific information about blackouts such as the duration and the number of people affected. The site also categorizes blackouts by cause (Animals, Weather/Falling Trees, Theft/Vandalism, Faulty Equipment/Human Error, Vehicle Accidents, Planned, Unknown) so site users can see the most common causes of power outages in their state or region.

While not intended to be an exhaustive listing of every power outage in the country, the Blackout Tracker will be continuously updated. Visitors are invited to submit their own outage reports online and request an annual Blackout Tracker report that provides a statistical analysis of power outages reported across the nation and in their home state.

A power outage is just one of nine common power problems that impact power quality and availability. A variety of devices are available that can protect data and equipment against losses caused by the inherent unreliability of electrical power. Surge protectors and uninterruptible power systems (UPSs) represent the most common power protection devices to protect data and equipment.

Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader in electrical control, power distribution, uninterruptible power supply and industrial automation products and services. Eaton’s global electrical brands, including Cutler-Hammer®, MGE Office Protection Systems™, Powerware®, Holec®, MEM®, Santak and Moeller, provide customer-driven PowerChain Management® solutions to serve the power system needs of the industrial, institutional, government, utility, commercial, residential, IT, mission critical and OEM markets worldwide.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2007 sales of $13 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 82,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

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