What does SAIFI measure?

SAIFI, or System Average Interruption Frequency Index, measures the frequency of interruptions experienced by the average customer within a given period, usually a year. It quantifies how often customers lose power, providing utility companies with insights into their reliability and performance in regards to maintaining continuous service. By focusing on the number of outages and how often they occur, SAIFI allows utilities to assess the effectiveness of their infrastructure, maintenance practices, and response protocols to interruptions.

In contrast to other indices that may measure outage duration, severity, or customer base, SAIFI specifically targets interruption frequency, making it a valuable metric for understanding customer experience related to service reliability.