The cost of insurance claims for lightning strikes nearly doubled between 2004 and 2011, and insured losses reached $1 billion last year alone according to a study by the Insurance Information Institute. The National Lightning Detection Network recorded nearly 23.4 million lightning flashes nationwide in 2011, but the rising cost isn’t entirely to do with the weather. In fact, the institute argues that an increased use of lightning protection equipment has caused the number of claims to fall 33 percent. The biggest culprit is instead the rising cost of electronics from flat-screen TVs to video game consuls. These items caused the cost per claim to rise 93 percent despite increased protection by consumers.
Lightning Damage Costs Double for Electronics
