This is simply NOT possible. Surges and lightning transients are very rapid impulses of energy that are too fast for the typical electric meter. If it cannot be measured by the electric meter, it cannot be billed by the utility. You cannot save what you cannot be billed for. This scam goes back to the beginnings of the surge suppression industry in the 1970's. Many studies have been done by electric utilities and the results are conclusive: Surges are not billable energy. If any surge suppression company makes ANY claims of energy savings, they are preying on your desire to go 'green'. We believe suppression is 'green' technology because it saves resources by stopping equipment damage but......
Surge Suppression DOES NOT lower your electric bill.
Click on the illustration to expand.
Surge Suppression DOES NOT lower your electric bill.
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Will my plug in strip surge suppressor protect my electronic equipment from lightning?
Most plug in surge suppression cannot handle much energy. A bigger problem is the fact that the majority of plug strip suppressors currently on the market and in use today were not tested by UL as surge suppressors. The typical strip 'suppressor' is usually UL Listed as a ‘temporary power tap’ (extension cord) and you can only find the truth on the label attached to the device. The box and brochure may say ‘UL Listed, Surge Suppressor’ but it is not UL Listed AS a surge suppressor.
Only accept UL1449 on the label. Literature and packaging for suppression can be misleading. Connected Load Guarantees and high Joule ratings are frequently misunderstood. Both of these are marketing techniques designed to be misleading...
'A combination of hardwired panel protection and quality point of use suppression is still the most effective...'
Click on the illustration to expand.
Only accept UL1449 on the label. Literature and packaging for suppression can be misleading. Connected Load Guarantees and high Joule ratings are frequently misunderstood. Both of these are marketing techniques designed to be misleading...
'A combination of hardwired panel protection and quality point of use suppression is still the most effective...'
Click on the illustration to expand.
Do lightning rods protect electrical equipment?
..the biggest myth about lightning protection?
...that lightning rods actually provide some degree of protection to electrical equipment!
When Ben Franklin invented the first lightning rods, his sole purpose was to stop tall wood buildings from burning to the ground after a strike. It worked! UL96A and NFPA780 are largely based on Franklin’s original concepts and designs. Today's world demands more with our reliance on modern processing equipment and our dependance on electronics to increase productivity. Ben did not have computers or electrical equipment to protect. He would have been the first to say:
'The installation of lightning rods will NOT protect electrical and electronic equipment from surges and lightning damage...'
Click on the illustration to expand.
...that lightning rods actually provide some degree of protection to electrical equipment!
When Ben Franklin invented the first lightning rods, his sole purpose was to stop tall wood buildings from burning to the ground after a strike. It worked! UL96A and NFPA780 are largely based on Franklin’s original concepts and designs. Today's world demands more with our reliance on modern processing equipment and our dependance on electronics to increase productivity. Ben did not have computers or electrical equipment to protect. He would have been the first to say:
'The installation of lightning rods will NOT protect electrical and electronic equipment from surges and lightning damage...'
Click on the illustration to expand.
My plug in surge suppressor comes with a Connected Load Guarantee.
What does that mean?
Anything 'Connected' to the suppressor is guaranteed! Imagine you could purchase a product that says it provides up to
'$ 5,000,000 guarantee for your expensive electronic equipment in the event that lightning strikes...
For just $12.95!
How could you go wrong?
Does this sound a little too good to be true?
'If it sounds too good to be true,...'
Well, you know the rest of this story....
Click on the illustration to expand.
'$ 5,000,000 guarantee for your expensive electronic equipment in the event that lightning strikes...
For just $12.95!
How could you go wrong?
Does this sound a little too good to be true?
'If it sounds too good to be true,...'
Well, you know the rest of this story....
Click on the illustration to expand.
Does UL Certify Surge Suppression Performance Claims made by Manufacturers?
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) tests all surge suppressors for safety but not for performance. For many years, the safety issues surrounding suppression came from their sacrificial nature. Lightning could cause the SPD to explode and even catch fire. This problem led to the development of UL1449 and each new Edition (currently 3.0) of this Standard raises the level of safety required to be properly UL Listed. UL does not regulate the literature published by any surge manufacturer. UL only governs the actual label attached to the Surge Protective Device (SPD). Published Surge Specifications, brochures, and the actual SPD packaging are typically designed to help sell the product. UL does not and cannot regulate this. As a result, we have found that most surge specifications are deliberately misleading and the published performance data cannot be replicated in a lab. The real truth can only be found on the UL side label attached to the device…