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Protect Your Home from Electrical Power Surges

Lightning behind house
Lightning behind house
Lightning behind house

Learn how to protect your appliances from power surge damage. 

When thunder starts cracking, are you secure knowing your home is protected? A power surge - a sudden, significant increase in voltage of electricity flowing through your circuits - can do serious damage to your home appliances.

These surges can affect some of your biggest-ticket items, including your air conditioner, refrigerator, washer, and dryer, so it's crucial that you check your homeowners insurance policy to ensure you're covered.

How can I protect my home from power surges?

High-powered electrical appliances at peak capacity take a lot of energy to keep their motors and compressors going, so high demand can upset the steady voltage flow through your electrical system.

On the other hand, low voltage causes other problems when too little electricity causes motor-driven appliances to overheat, as motors work harder to try and draw more current.

To prevent power surges in your home, we recommend the following:

  1.  Understand the highs and lows of voltage. 

    Normally, your standard home voltage is about 120 volts. During a surge, there is a brief but dramatic increase in that voltage rate, causing too much electricity to run through your wires. Surges happen for many reasons: weather conditions, transformer problems, the sudden return of power after an outage, and more.

  2.  Know which appliances are most at risk - and why.

    Anything motor-driven is particularly vulnerable to damage from voltage changes. Also, modern electronics that rely on microprocessors such as computers, microwaves, and TVs - need a stable supply of electric current at the correct voltage to work properly. This is why we recommend you unplug all of these major electrical units in a power outage, as there's often a surge when electricity comes back on.

  3.  Install surge protectors on major items.

    These devices, which resemble power strips, work automatically to divert extra electricity to each outlet's grounding wire and help protect your appliances. Home computers, media units, land-line telephones, cable lines, and motorized appliances can all benefit from surge protectors, though experts still recommend unplugging major items if there is a power outage.

Browse our protection plans

Our plans give you lots of options, so you can get just what you need for your home without paying for coverage you don't need.

Shop our protection plans

Terms and conditions contained in the protection plans may limit our contract obligations due to coverage caps, coverage exclusions, and our cash back offer. View plan details for more information.

*Repair claims are limited to $500 per service call and $2,000 per plan in the aggregate per plan term. Plans are provided by NRG Protects Inc. Independent contractors will be performing various services under the plans. In some instances we may make a cash payment in lieu of repairs or replacement in the amount of actual cost, which may be less than retail, to repair or replace any covered system, component, or appliance.

**If your authorized repair technician determines that the water heater is deemed irreparable, we will give you a credit of $500 towards a replacement water heater by your authorized repair technician.

Once repair plans commence, there is a 30-day waiting period before you may request services for a claim. Unless the plan provider elects not to renew the plan, upon expiration of the first year, the plan will automatically renew at the standard rate and terms unless you opt out of the auto-renewal option in writing by mail at P.O. Box 2309, Houston, TX 77252- 2309, by email at cancel@nrgprotects.com or by calling us at 1.855.241.9094. Sales tax will be added in select states.

This is a summary of what the provider will and will not cover under the plan, and is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the plan. The Terms and Conditions may limit the provider's contractual obligations due to coverage caps, coverage exclusions and any cash-back option available under the plan. Please refer to the Sample Terms & Conditions for details.