How to Protect Your Home from Lightning Damage

04/14/2023

Why does it matter?

Electrical strikes and lightning surges can damage and destroy appliances, electronic devices, and cause devastating house fires. Reduce or prevent lightning damage by installing a professional lightning protection system, whole house surge protection, or a series of point-of-use appliance and electronics protective devices.

No lightning protection device or system can guarantee 100% damage prevention from a direct lightning strike or lightning that enters through unprotected telephone, cable, or power lines to the house. However, you can avoid dangerous and expensive damage to your home.

What do I need to know?

The most comprehensive home lightning protection system is a lightning protection system. Lightning protection systems installed on your home provide a direct path for lightning to follow to the ground while bypassing your house structure, wiring, telephone, and cable lines. The system includes: strike termination devices, conductors, ground terminals, interconnecting bonding, and surge protection devices to prevent harmful electrical surges.

If you have trees taller than 10 feet, you may need to install lightning protection on those as well.

If you cannot afford a professionally-installed lightning protection system, consider a whole house surge protection system, multiple point-of-use protection devices for your cable system, computer, phone, televisions, and other electronic appliances. A whole-house surge protection system can be installed on the electric meter or the electrical panel to help protect the appliances and electronic equipment in your home, such as computers, TVs, and DVD players.

Where do I start?

• Consult a qualified contractor (UL-listed/LPI-certified or qualified electrician) for the installation of a Lightning Protection System.
• Contact your utility provider to see if they offer whole house surge protection options.
• Protect your electronics and appliances with surge protection devices. Surge protectors safeguard electronics and electrical appliances from all but the most severe electrical surges or direct strikes.
  • Ordinary power strips do not necessarily provide surge protection, so read the descriptions carefully.
  • Check your surge protector to ensure it is a “transient voltage surge suppressor” and that it meets Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Safety Standard 1449.

More Resources

The Lightning Protection Institute has information about lightning protection in homes, including details on a Lightning Protection System.