According to the 2020 State of Commercial and Industrial Power Reliability Report written and researched by S&C Electric Co. and Frost & Sullivan, power reliability is stagnant and still not improving, which continues to impact commercial and industrial (C&I) business' bottom line.

"As C&I companies rely more and more on technology and automation to remain competitive, they naturally have a greater need for highly reliable power. Even a few seconds without power can end up having a much longer impact on their business," said Brian Levite, S&C Regulatory Affairs Director.

"We're seeing that these C&I companies are expecting utilities to improve power reliability in tandem with the evolution of today's business operations--and yet power reliability remains stagnant. This gap is widening quickly and could really come to a head in a matter of a couple of years."

The study surveyed 255 C&I companies and looked at how poor power reliability affects these companies and what considerations they have given to alternative energy as an option to improve power reliability.

The report found that unreliable power has a direct impact on C&I company profitability, so much so they're willing to take drastic measures to mitigate revenue loss.

More than one-third of companies (35%) were willing to pay more to guarantee electricity during a natural disaster or periods of inclement weather, while a similar percentage (38%) would pay more for power to be restored within five minutes.

Source: S&C Electric