Surge Protectors Help Your Home's Energy Efficiency

A surge protector protects your electronics in the event of a lightning strike, electrical system failure, or power outage. Spikes or drops in the electrical current traveling through your home’s electrical system can damage appliances, HVAC system components, computers, and home theater equipment. These fluctuations, which may be the result of lightning strikes, tripped circuit breakers or short circuits, are unavoidable, but installing a surge protector helps prevent these surges from causing damage.

These devices can provide more than just protection, though. They can also help lower energy and maintenance or repair costs. Homeowners have a few options in terms of the types of surge protectors available. These can be divided into two categories:

1. Whole house: controls the flow of electricity into your home.

2. Point of entry or use: Controls the flow of electricity from the outlet to the item plugged into it.

A whole house surge protector is wired into your home’s electrical system to protect your entire home. Point of entry devices are connected directly to the items you wish to protect and are available in a few different types. These include:

• Computer surge protectors have inlets for coaxial cable, standard plugs and Ethernet cables.

• Standard surge protection devices consist of multiple outlets on a power strip. These should not be confused with a standard power strip, which works like a multi-outlet extension cord, but does not provide surge protection.

• Home theater surge protectors have numerous outlets, as well as inputs for coaxial cable.

• Energy conservation surge protectors protect most types of electrical equipment, and help reduce the amount of energy used in your home. They consist of two outlets that are always on, and additional outlets that can be turned off when not in use.

A combination of whole house and point of entry devices typically provides the best protection and energy savings.

For more information about surge protection and its benefits in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow area please contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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Surge Protection Can Save The Life Of Your HVAC System During Fall Turbulence

Any time the seasons change, you can expect to see strong weather. If you live in or around Tulsa, the change from summer's oppressive heat to fall's cooler days and crisp nights means the likelihood of wind and rain. Although these may be welcome changes to you, the unsettled weather can wreak havoc on your electronics, as well as your heating and cooling systems. One good way to prevent damage to these systems is to make sure that your home has adequate surge protection.Surge protection is designed to prevent changes to the flow of electricity into or within your home. Any spike or drop in the amount of energy traveling through the wires in your home can damage TVs, computers, household appliances and, yes, the electrical components of your heating and cooling systems.There are two basic types of surge protectors you may use in your home to protect your electronics:

1. Service entrance protection, which controls the flow of electricity into your home.

2. Point of use protection, which controls the flow of electricity from the outlet to the item drawing power from it.

For best results, a combination of these two types of surge protection should be used. Nothing can prevent all fluctuations in power, especially when Oklahoma's powerful fall storms come calling, but properly installed surge protectors can prevent a great deal of the damage caused by power fluctuations to your heating and cooling system and other electronics in your home.If you would like more information about surge protection and its benefits, please contact us at Air Assurance. We have been keeping the people of Tulsa and the surrounding area comfortable for more than 25 years and proudly maintain an all-NATE-certified service team. We can further explain the benefits of surge protection and help you with any other heating or cooling questions or problems you may have.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Surge Protectors Prevent Damage From Fierce Summer Storms

Among the biggest disadvantages to summer in Oklahoma is the severe storms that often occur. Strong winds and tornadoes, severe lightning and heavy rains can make life very unpleasant, either while the storm is going on or much longer if the storm has damaged your home. A very effective method of preventing damage to your home's appliances, electric devices and sensitive electronics is to install surge protectors that keep devastating electrical spikes from surging back down your power lines and into your home.The total cost of all the electronics and electric equipment in your home is probably in the thousands of dollars. Whenever this equipment is plugged in, there is the risk that it could be damaged or destroyed by the electricity that powers it. Electrical surges can send enough electricity back into your power lines to burn out circuits and render any electrical device unusable. Surge protectors can stop these sudden damaging power spikes and keep your expensive equipment safe from harm.Destructive power surges most often occur during strong lightning storms. Power surges can happen when large appliances or equipment with high power needs switch on. Surges can also be caused by problems with electrical wiring in your home, downed or damaged power lines and the failure of power transmission equipment somewhere along the network.Surge protectors can provide:• Service entrance protection, which protects the entire electrical system at the point where wires and cables enter your home. This includes incoming power lines, phone lines and TV cables.• Point-of-use protection, which adds more protection at the point where the equipment is plugged into the electrical outlet.No surge protector can offer complete protection, especially against strong lightning strikes. However, by applying both service entrance and point-of-use surge protectors, you will substantially decrease any possibility of power surge damage in your home.For more than 30 years, Air Assurance has been providing professional heating and air conditioning services to customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow areas. Contact us today for more information on surge protectors and how they can protect your HVAC system, household appliances and electrical devices during common summer storms.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!