Here’s Why Your Home Needs Surge Protection

You have invested a great deal of money in all the electricity-using equipment in your home. Computers, TVs, stereos, refrigerators, washers, clothes dryers, and more—none of these are cheap, so you take good care of these items.
But are you protecting your equipment from power surges? If you do not have surge protection installed in your home, consider getting it. Today’s electronic equipment and appliances are very sensitive. And remember that anything you plug in can be damaged—and in worst-case scenarios, destroyed—by a power surge.
A power surge is a brief, unpredictable increase in voltage that can enter your home through the power, telephone, or cable television lines. Power surges can occur at any time and in any locale.
Your electric cooperative is always working to maintain a high-quality supply of power to your home. However, several things can cause power surges in the very best of electric utility systems.
The most common cause of power surges is lightning, and during this time of year, storms are frequent. In fact, each year power surges from lightning alone cause an estiamted $500 million in damage to electronics and appliances.
However, there are other causes of power surges as well. These include an object coming in contact with a power line as well as electric-powered equipment suddenly starting or taking extra power. Even turning on your vacuum cleaner can create a power surge within your home.
Power-surge protection puts up guards in two places:

1) where electricity enters your home, and
2) inside your home where equipment is connected to electricity through outlets.

A meter-based surge protector protects your home from power surges at the entry point, which is where your home and equipment are most vulnerable. Plug-in devices for surge protection inside the home protect your equipment at the outlet stage.
Don’t wait for a power surge to hit your home. Call your electric cooperative today for information about power-surge protection.