News
January 17, 2019Merriam Insurance Partners In Cutting-Edge Remote Sensor Program
Merriam Insurance is partnering with several of its rescue mission/homeless shelter clients nationally to pilot cutting-edge remote sensor technology. These sensors are designed to send a signal through cell phone towers every 10–15 minutes, reporting the temperature and moisture levels in a monitored building. After being installed, the sensors are able to teach themselves the normal rhythms of the building’s temperature and moisture levels. If a potential water leak is detected, a notification is sent to the maintenance staff responsible for the building to investigate and take corrective action, hopefully preventing a loss.
Building and insurance losses due to preventable water damage, especially from pipes that freeze, burst or leak, cause millions of dollars of damage annually. A rescue mission recently had almost $1.5 million dollars in damage to their building after their power and heat went out over a weekend. This caused the sprinkler pipes to freeze and burst, sending water cascading throughout their building. The Merriam team believes technology like these remote sensors will help prevent, or greatly reduce similar causes of water damage. This should result in our non-profit clients having fewer reportable incidents, thus lower insurance premiums.
Each of the non-profit organizations piloting this program have agreed to install a separate wireless router to connect with 6 remote sensors placed throughout one of their buildings. The sensors connect to the cell tower through the router and have a battery life of 2–6 years. The router and sensors are provided to the participating organizations by one of Merriam’s insurance markets, Great American Insurance Company.
The Merriam Insurance team is excited to have the opportunity to partner with our clients to explore new and innovative solutions to help protect their property, increase the value they receive from their insurance premiums, and keep our communities running smoothly.
Merriam Insurance is a fourth generation, family-owned agency, founded in 1895. It offers customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies including property, casualty, life and health as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: https://MerriamInsurance.com.
