Whole House Surge Protection: Defending Your Home’s Electrical System

Electricity powers nearly every aspect of modern living, from lighting and appliances to sensitive electronics. Yet, lurking within this convenience is a hidden threat—electrical surges. These sudden spikes in voltage can wreak havoc on a home’s electrical system and connected devices, costing homeowners thousands in repairs and replacements. Whole house surge protection is the most reliable solution to safeguard against these unpredictable surges.

What Is an Electrical Surge?

An electrical surge, also known as a transient voltage, is a brief, intense spike in electrical power. Surges can range from just a few volts above normal to several thousand volts and typically last less than a second. While brief, the damage they can inflict is lasting and often catastrophic for sensitive electronics.

Our modern homes are filled with more and more devices that have sensitive electrical components. As more and more appliances become "smart" or "programmable", these can easily be damaged or destroyed in the event of a power surge. These now affect almost every room in your home.

Common Causes of Surges

Lightning strikes: The most destructive source, injecting millions of volts directly or indirectly into home wiring.
Utility switching: Power company grid changes can produce surges as electricity is rerouted.
Downed power lines: Accidents or storms can lead to voltage spikes along the grid.
Large appliances cycling: Motors and compressors (e.g., refrigerators, air conditioners) can induce small, frequent surges.
Faulty wiring or grounding: Improperly installed or aging electrical systems are more prone to surges.

How Does Home Surge Protection Work?

Whole Home Surge Protectors work by regulating the voltage coming through your main electrical line to your meter or main electrical panel. Voltage spikes and surges are blocked from reaching your appliances by pushing (shorting) the excess voltage to your grounding system. The whole home surge protector acts like a pressure release valve, if excess voltage is sensed on the line, the surge protector stops it and sends it to ground, protecting your home wiring and appliances/devices inside the home.

This protection is instantaneous and repeats as needed, offering consistent defense against both large spikes and smaller, frequent surges. Whole house surge protection stands as a shield against the unpredictable forces that threaten a home’s comfort, safety, and technology.

Home Surge Protection is Affordable & Easy

With quality home surge protection costing as little as $425 installed, it makes sense to look at protecting all of your electric devices and appliances with one easy whole home solution.

Whole home surge protectors install at the main electrical pane or meter feed and offer a huge amount of protection for a very reasonable cost. Installation can be easily done in less than a day and the system allows you to monitor for any undetected surges and see that the unit is working.

We recommend Eaton and Intermatic surge protectors:

EATON Ultimate Surge Protection ( CHSPT2ULTRA ): Great low cost solution for residential needs. Limited lifetime warranty on equipment and $75,000 coverage for connected devices. Must be replaced after a surge event.

Intermatic Smart Guard Whole Home Surge Protector (IG2240-IMSK): This unit costs a bit more initially but comes with both a protection status light for easy checking and replaceable modules (can be done by homeowner) to reset the unit after a surge event. Intermatic is backed by a great warranty & quality equipment, & solid customer service. There is a 10 year product warranty and coverage for up to $50,000 on connected equipment.

POWER SURGES CAN DAMAGE:

Smart Televisions & Entertainment Systems
Smart Home Lighting & Controls
Microwaves, Dishwashers & Stoves
Washing Machines & Dryers
Furnace & HVAC Systems
Programmable Thermostats
Routers & Networks
Computers
Tablets & Phones (when charging)

Consequences of Not Having Protection:

Damaged or destroyed electronics and appliances
Potential fire risk due to overheated wiring
Downtime and inconvenience replacing essential devices
Loss of irreplaceable data and memories
Unnecessary expense for repairs and replacements

Data Source: https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-lightning

Cost of Electrical Surges and Lightening Strikes to Homeowners

North Carolina ranks 6th in the nation for lightening strike damage claims filed to homeowners' insurance. In 2018, the average claim for these was $11,561. This dollar value on damage has been steadily increasing as our homes have more and more appliances, electronic devices and Smart Home features that contain delicate electronic circuit boards. These devices are particularly sensitive to the damaging effects of power surges.

Grounding vs Surge Protection in Your Home

Grounding systems connect all metal parts in a building that could become energized together. This system is then connected to neutral wire coming into your home. The neutral connection allows breakers to trip when a hot wire comes into contact with this system of grounded parts. The system is then connected to the earth with rods, underground metal water pipes and other means. Often your incoming cable, telephone and any gas lines are connected to this same grounding system. The sole purpose of the grounding system is to limit higher voltages and disperse them safely into the earth. This limiting helps protect your home from the significant damage that can be caused by a lighting strike or other surge. However, it’s not enough by itself to protect the sensitive electronics in most devices and appliances today.