As Central Florida residents, we know that frequent lightning is a fact of life. At Spectrum Electric Inc., our job is to ensure these storms don't silently destroy your home's sensitive electronics. We provide professional, whole-house surge protection to safeguard your appliances and your family's safety.
Schedule your surge protection installation with our licensed electricians.
Here in Central Florida, afternoon thunderstorms are a daily reality. But beyond the downpour is a constant electrical threat to your home. As the lightning capital of the U.S., the Greater Orlando area experiences an environment where power surges aren't a possibility. They are an inevitability.
A single lightning strike a quarter-mile away can induce a catastrophic surge through the power grid, destroying the delicate circuit boards in your appliances in an instant. Your HVAC system, smart TV, and kitchen appliances are all vulnerable. At Spectrum Electric Inc. (License #EC13008455), we don't install temporary fixes; we engineer a robust defense for your entire home electrical system.
It's a common misconception that your circuit breakers protect you from surges. Their job is to prevent fires from overcurrents, which is a slow process. They are completely powerless against the nanosecond-fast voltage spike from a lightning strike, which is why we see so much electronic damage across Central Florida.
A powerful lightning strike can discharge over a billion joules of energy. A direct hit is rare, but a strike on a transformer a block away will send a massive surge down the line, affecting every home on the circuit. Without a Surge Protective Device (SPD) at your panel to divert this energy, your home's wiring becomes a direct path for destruction, targeting your most expensive electronics first.
While lightning is the most destructive, it's not the most common source of surge damage. Roughly 80% of surges are generated internally. Each time a powerful appliance like your air conditioner or pool pump cycles on and off, it creates small but damaging voltage spikes on your home's electrical circuits.
Unlike older, simpler machines, today's appliances are packed with sensitive microprocessors and circuit boards. These components are extremely vulnerable to voltage fluctuations. The constant barrage of small, internal surges acts like "electronic rust," slowly degrading these circuits and causing premature failure. This is the hidden reason your new refrigerator might inexplicably die years before its time.
Many homeowners believe a few plug-in power strips are providing adequate protection. The truth is, these strips offer minimal defense (only 200-1,000 joules) and do nothing for your major hardwired systems like the AC unit or pool equipment. Furthermore, their internal components degrade with every small surge, often failing without warning. For true protection, we implement a layered approach:
The foundation of your defense is a robust Type 2 Surge Protective Device (SPD) we professionally install at your main electrical panel. Using trusted brands like EATON or Siemens rated for 40,000 amps or more, this device acts as the gatekeeper, safely diverting massive external surges from lightning or the grid before they can even enter your home.
We still advise using high-quality, point-of-use surge protectors for your most sensitive electronics like computers and home theater systems. This secondary layer cleans up any residual electrical "noise" and handles smaller surges generated by your own appliances, providing complete, comprehensive protection.
Our process begins where safety starts: with your home's grounding system. A Surge Protective Device is useless if it cannot safely discharge excess voltage into the earth. We verify that you have a proper, non-corroded grounding electrode conductor, as this is the essential pathway that makes the entire system effective and safe.
We install a high-quality, panel-mounted SPD (meeting UL 1449 standards) directly to your main service panel.
As part of our commitment to homeowner education, we don't just install the device; we verify its operation. We ensure the status indicator lights are active and take the time to show you exactly what they mean and how to monitor your system's health, so you always have peace of mind.
Spectrum was great. I called several companies for a quote to run electric from the house to backyard shed. Spectrum was one of the only ones who called me back and came our right away and gave me a quote. I felt like the wanted my business. We scheduled the work for a few days later both Alex and Jason showed up on time and were done when they said they would be. Very thorough, professional, made sure they did everything we needed, took time to answer any questions we had. I would definitely use them again and recommend them. Great company and great people.
FANATASTIC experience with Spectrum. The electrician was very efficient and thorough with the job. We got a new light fixture in our pantry and Alex walked us through all our options. When he was done with the installation, he troubleshooted it to make sure it was working exactly the way we wanted it. Before he left, he cleaned the area he was working in. I highly recommend this company! Extremely professional, knowledgeable, and affordable!
A great experience with Spectrum Electric. Alex came out in person and estimated the work to be performed (rewire entire house). Besides being affordable, they've been very professional, and strong communication with us every step of the way. I would recommend them for any project large or small.
Spectrum has been out to our home three times now and has done incredibly work each time. They are prompt, professional and efficient. I first used them to update all recommendations from our home purchase inspection. They were able to test/update/replace every single outlet. This helped address a recent short we experienced in my sons room. Now I know we are up to code and my baby is safe! Most recently, I needed a new outlet out put in. They were busy but still made time to squeeze us in and now my freezer works! I will surely use them for all of my electrical needs.
I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome of the services performed by Spectrum Electric! They were amazing with explaining everything to me, repairing what needed to be done and making my kitchen light up! They were quick, on time, clean and were reasonably priced. I will definitely use them in the future and highly recommend.
We believe an informed homeowner is a safer homeowner. Here, we've answered some of the most common questions we hear from Orlando-area residents about whole-house surge protection, helping you understand the technology and the value it brings to your home.
Still have questions?Spectrum Electric (License #EC13008455) serves homeowners across Central Florida and surrounding areas.
In Florida, the question isn't if a damaging surge will occur, but when. Take proactive steps to protect your home's electrical system and the thousands of dollars of electronics connected to it.