In the twenty first century, the age of technology, most holdshave a number of high tech electrical devices, from fridges to computers to telephones.

An electrical surge (or a spike in voltage) can cause significant damage to you appliances. Leaving you with the expense and inconvenience of having to get them repaired.

Devices like fridges and televisions which are constantly turned off and on can trigger an energy surge, because of the voltage fluctuation

So to protect your home and electrical appliances you might want to consider surge protection.

So how does surge protection actually work? 

For protecting individual appliances, you can attach a surge protector (or suppresser), which controls the level of voltage being supplied to the appliance. When voltage goes past a certain safety threshold, as it would during a spike, the surge suppressor either blocks the unwanted voltage or shorts it to the ground. When deciding which items to add surge protection to you should consider, the age of the device and the cost of repairing it in comparison to the cost of protecting it. This way you can work out the most cost efficient option. Some modern devices also have surge protection, so you should always check this before you fork over extra cash.

You can also get whole house surge protection, which as the name suggests will protect all of your appliances from voltage spikes. This works by fitting surge protection devices (SPDs) at the three point which electricity enters your home; your communication systems (telephone line), cable and electrical service panel. Rather than preventing electrical surges affecting individual appliances, this prevents any surges entering your home in the first place. It protects against lightning and utility surges, as well as everyday spikes.

The price of whole house surge protection will depend on the number of electrical panels, telephone lines and cable and/or satellite connections you have. It will also depend on the how much voltage the device will let through, as there are various voltage clamping levels. The lower this level is, the better protection it will provide as it will let through less of an electrical surge. Naturally lower voltage clamping level devices will be slightly more expensive, but it may prove a better investment in the long run. The lowest voltage clamping levels are 330V, 400V and 500V. 330V is the standard level.

Joules rating is also important. This indicates how much energy a surge protector can in theory absorb in a single event/surge. A lot of people think the more joules the better, but this is not necessarily the case; a lower joules rating may provide a longer life expectancy since device can divert more energy away, therefore absorbing less energy itself. This means theoretically at least it should be able to last longer.

Surge protection can also be important for safety reasons. Electrical surges can sometimes start electrical fires in your house. So to ensure you family’s safety it is advisable to get whole house surge protection, to prevent this.

Surge Protection is an easy and inexpensive way to protect your home and your electrical appliances that will hopefully save you money in the future. If you would like to know more about whole house surge protection, then contact your local certified electrician who can provide you with the information that you need.

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