Table of Contents
What It Does
A whole-home Surge Protective Device (SPD) mounts inside or beside your panel and shunts voltage transients (from utility switching, nearby lightning, or motor loads) to ground before they reach your circuits. Modern SPDs handle 40,000–80,000 amps of surge current.
Cost
$400–$800 installed in Orange County, depending on the SPD rating and whether the panel has space for a direct-mount model or needs an adjacent enclosure.
Need a licensed Orange County electrician?
Family-owned since 1974. C-10 #1050793 Licensed, Bonded & Insured. Serving all of Orange County.
Do I Still Need Plug-In Surge Strips?
For high-value electronics (computers, TVs, home theater), yes — a two-stage approach (whole-home + point-of-use) is what UL and IEEE recommend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does insurance cover surge damage?+
Some policies do, some don't, and many require a whole-home SPD as a condition of surge coverage. Check your policy.