A whole-home surge protection device installs at your main panel and guards every circuit at once — the hardwired appliances a power strip can never reach. Installation typically takes under two hours.
A power strip surge protector guards one outlet cluster. It does nothing for the appliances wired directly to your circuits — your refrigerator, HVAC system, dishwasher, EV charger, or the smart-home hub that connects everything.
The shutoff itself doesn't produce surges — it's the reconnection. When SCE or LADWP restores power after a multi-day outage, that restoration event can produce a voltage spike on circuits that were unprotected the whole time.
Variable-speed HVAC compressors, smart appliances, EV charger control boards, and home-automation hubs are the expensive items that degrade from cumulative surge damage — failing quietly, often years after the surges that started it.
A whole-home surge protection device is a panel-mounted unit that monitors the voltage entering your home from the utility. When it detects a spike — from lightning, utility switching, PSPS restoration, or any other source — it diverts the excess energy safely to ground before it can travel into your circuits. We mount the device in or adjacent to your main electrical panel, connect it to your primary service, and test it before we leave. We install Eaton, Square D, or equivalent manufacturer-rated devices — never no-brand units — sized for your home's service amperage, with the connections and grounding that make the device actually work rather than just occupy space on the panel. Panel-level protection is the foundation; point-of-use protectors for sensitive electronics are the second line — the two work best together.
Surge protection works in layers. Panel-mounted devices intercept large surges at the source; point-of-use devices handle smaller transients at the outlet. Knowing which is which tells you why a power strip alone leaves most of your home exposed.
| Device type | Where it installs | What it protects |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 / Type 2 | Main panel (panel-mounted) | Every circuit at once, at the source — before surges reach your wiring |
| Type 3 | At the outlet (power strip) | Only the devices plugged into it, from minor surges nearby |
Panel-level protection is the first line of defense; point-of-use devices are the second. The two work best together, not in place of each other.
A licensed electrician reviews your main panel, your service amperage, and the equipment you're protecting — HVAC, EV charger, smart-home hub, sensitive electronics. No pressure.
We recommend a manufacturer surge protection device rated for your home's service size, with published surge ratings — not a no-brand unit. You see what it protects and why before we proceed.
No permit is required for most residential SPD installations, but we confirm the requirement by jurisdiction before starting so there are no surprises.
We mount the device in or adjacent to your main panel, connect it to your primary service, and ground and bond it correctly. Installation typically takes under two hours, and we test the device before we leave.
Panel-level protection becomes the foundation of your home's defense. We can recommend point-of-use protectors for sensitive electronics as a second layer, and we stay your electricians for as long as you own the home.
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