Top Award For Innovation That Saves Electricity Companies And Customers Millions Of Dollars

EA Technology’s CableSniffer™ has beaten 400 entries from 22 countries to win the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) 2014 Innovation Award for power and energy, based on its unique effectiveness over 11 years.

In the UK alone, electricity companies and their customers are saving more than $246 million (£154 million) a year thanks to the CableSniffer™. It has halved the cost of locating around 60,000 UK underground Low Voltage (LV) cable faults annually, so they can be fixed faster with less environmental damage. Now it’s poised to be an international best-seller.

Originally designed and patented by EA Technology in 2003, the CableSniffer™ has been adopted by every UK electricity distribution network operator to replace traditional methods of searching for them, which previously involved digging multiple holes and caused lengthy road closures, environmental damage and delays in restoration of service.

By contrast, the CableSniffer™ works by sampling gas given off by faults, via small drill holes. The highest reading shows where the fault is located, accurate to within a metre, so only a single dig is needed. Instead of taking a day or more to find each fault, the CableSniffer™ can locate them in under an hour.

Robert Davis, CEO of EA Technology, said: “The CableSniffer™ is a true game-changer. It saves electricity companies millions every year in engineering costs, which would otherwise be added to customers’ bills. In addition, homes and businesses have their power restored faster and there are tens of thousands fewer excavations needed, so traffic keeps flowing and there is far less damage to the environment and the economy.”

Owned by its staff of 240 and headquartered in Capenhurst, UK, EA Technology has embarked on a global marketing drive with the CableSniffer™, through its offices in Australia, China, Europe, Middle East, Singapore and USA.

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