In a recent national research study undertaken to gauge homebuilders’ awareness of and interest in residential fire sprinkler systems, nearly 90% of respondents indicated an interest in learning more about the life-saving fire protection technology.

Roughly one-third of those respondents also said they would participate in a pilot program designed to educate builders and homeowners about residential fire sprinklers.

The survey, sponsored by the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and conducted by Reed Research Group, sought opinions from among 5,000 builders.

While less than one-fifth of the respondents had built a home with an automatic fire sprinkler system, those builders who had done so reported installing sprinkler systems in 28% of their homes on average.

Customer request was cited as the reason for installing sprinklers nearly a quarter of the time. Only 4% of respondents said they install sprinklers to benefit from cost-saving trade-ups.

“The survey findings confirmed some of our assumptions about builder awareness of home sprinkler systems,” said HFSC Chair Gary Keith. “And, it provided important new clues about piquing increased builder interest.”

HFSC’s focus in 2004 is reaching homebuilders and designers in hopes of encouraging them to offer fire sprinkler systems to their customers. Surveying builders and developers will continue over time, helping HFSC gain greater perspective on their interests and activities and providing targeted educational programs that fit builder needs.

“With a small percentage of builders apparently taking advantage of valuable trade-up opportunities, that incentive alone is prime potential for reaching builders,” Keith added. “Moreover, customer interest in sprinkler technology is very encouraging, and builders need to realize the value-added that sprinklers offer. Our job is to help them understand that installing sprinklers can not only save them money, but also that sprinklers can also increase the value of their product to prospective buyers.”