A whole-home surge protector installs directly at your main electrical panel, meaning it can be added as a standalone project or seamlessly combined with other panel modifications, such as a panel upgrade or the addition of a new circuit for a heat pump or EV charger. Officially designated as a surge protective device (SPD), it redirects voltage spikes safely to the ground before they can propagate down individual branch circuits. This centralized defense safeguards your entire home, protecting major hardwired systems and appliances that a standard power strip can never reach—including your heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, electric range, washer and dryer, garage door opener, and hardwired smoke alarms.
A surge is a brief, massive spike in voltage that occurs in a mere fraction of a second. The most severe surges are triggered externally by lightning strikes, utility grid switching, or downed power lines. However, the vast majority of surges actually originate inside the house, occurring repeatedly throughout the day whenever a large appliance motor, such as an air conditioning compressor, cycles on and off.
What This Covers
- Surge protective devices installed at the main panel
- Protection for subpanels and detached buildings
- Checking the grounding and bonding the device relies on
- Replacing a surge device whose indicator shows it's spent
- Adding protection during a panel upgrade
Signs It’s Time to Call
- A control board in the furnace, washer or garage door opener failed after a storm
- A new heat pump, new appliances or an EV charger are going in
- The light on your existing surge device is out or showing a fault
- A panel upgrade is planned
The Process
Look at the Grounding First
Because the device diverts surges directly to the earth, the grounding electrode connection and overall system bonding must be in perfect condition. We inspect these elements, along with available physical space inside the panel, before any other work begins.
Wire It In With the Power Off
Main power to the electrical panel is shut off while the device is being connected, meaning your home will be temporarily without electricity during this phase of the installation. We route its leads to be as short and free of sharp bends as the panel configuration permits, since excess length or kinking significantly reduces the device's protective effectiveness.
Check the Light After Storms
An indicator light on the body of the device confirms that its surge protection is active. Surge protective devices gradually degrade over time, and a severe spike in utility line voltage can destroy one instantly, so it is important to check the indicator light following any major storm.
Common Questions
Does Georgia require whole-home surge protection?
Not for a one- or two-family house. While the national code mandates a surge protective device on all residential electrical services, Georgia's specific amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code explicitly exempt one- and two-family dwellings. However, units within apartment complexes and condominium buildings are not covered by this exemption, meaning the requirement can still apply there whenever a main service or an individual unit's electrical panel is installed or replaced.
Will it protect against a lightning strike?
It is engineered for the most common scenario, where lightning strikes a nearby object or utility pole and sends an electrical surge traveling down the power lines, allowing the device to intercept and divert that energy before it reaches your home's circuits. This provides highly effective protection, as a direct strike on a building is exceedingly rare.
However, a direct strike on the house itself, or on the utility line immediately outside it, is a massive event on an entirely different scale, and no standalone surge protective device can be guaranteed to stop it. Comprehensively protecting the physical structure from a direct hit requires a specialized lightning protection system composed of lightning rods and dedicated heavy-duty grounding conductors, which is a completely separate installation.
Do I still need surge strips if I have whole-home protection?
For sensitive electronics, yes. The device at your panel absorbs the vast majority of an incoming surge from the power line, allowing a high-quality plug-in protector at your computer or television to easily handle any remaining voltage. Additionally, devices connected to cable, telephone, or antenna lines remain vulnerable to spikes traveling through those specific data lines, which a panel-mounted device cannot intercept. Utilizing a plug-in surge strip that features ports for both the power plug and the data/signal cables provides complete protection against these secondary entry points.