What to do if you experience a power surge?

The destructive nature of a power surge is rarely considered until it’s too late. A power surge is defined as an intense spike in electricity that travels through the electrical wiring of your home. Wall outlets and appliances are designed to handle between 0-169 volts with 120 volts of AC power, the norm that wall outlets supply.

Intense power surges registering 169 volts and above can be dangerous and cause damage to appliances, home systems, and sensitive electronics. Power surges can create too much heat, causing appliances to break down or even to be destroyed. Fire is also a danger when a power surge overloads the device or system.

Signs of a Power Surge

Slight power surges often go unnoticed, but any spike in power can be detrimental to plugged-in appliances and electronics. An arc of electrical current inside the device can cause the electronics or appliance to overheat. Your electrical system may have experienced a power surge if an appliance or sensitive electronic, like a computer or tablet, turns off without being unplugged or powered down. If the digital clocks in your home are flashing or a plugged-in power strip is turned off and needs resetting, a power surge may have occurred. A burning odor emitted from the device indicates damage and is a tell-tale sign of a power surge. Plugged-in power surge protectors can’t always help protect devices from damage.

Help Protect Your Home Before Damage Occurs

Lightning strikes are a primary reason that power surges occur. Florida homes are susceptible because the Sunshine State receives more than one million lightning flashes per year and an average of 3,500 cloud-to-ground flashes per day.¹ Lightning-strikes near your home can send excessive power through the electrical wiring. However, a state-of-the-art surge-protector installed directly at the electric meter can help to prevent a power surge. The SurgeShield® program offered by FPL Home helps protect home appliances and systems from being damaged by a power surge through your electric meter. The SurgeShield program also comes with a $5,000 limited manufacturer’s warranty per major motor-driven appliance, per occurrence for damages caused by a failure of the surge protector to properly perform.

FPL Home also offers a solution to help protect homeowner and renters from the cost of power surge damage to sensitive electronics. The Electronics Surge Protection Program offered by FPL Home provides up to $5,000 per year in reimbursement for repairing or replacing covered electronics damaged by a power surge. Sensitive electronics that ESP covers include, but are not limited to televisions, computers, tablets, home-theater systems, game consoles, and more.

Would you like to learn more? Call 800-811-9216 for more information or to enroll in the SurgeShield Program, Electronics Surge Protection Program, or both.

FPL Home, is an unregulated subsidiary of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL).  The SurgeShield® program is offered and administered by FPL Home, and not FPL.  The Electronics Surge Protection program is offered and administered by FPL Home, and not FPL, and is provided by United Service Protection, Inc.

¹ https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news