Dealing with Havoc

Living in Florida, I see the intense effects of thunderstorms as they pass through the area. These thunder events occur around 100 days per year here. They are usually accompanied by peals of thunder and intense mosaics of brilliant artwork as bolts of lightning flash between clouds and explode across the sky.

And yes, those lightning bursts often find time to jump from the sky to earth ground creating havoc on utility systems and customer homes as storms rumble through the area.

When I respond to the question “What do you do” folks often push back, saying, “so… your career is based upon storms wreaking havoc on utilities and their customers?” “Well… yes, I respond!”

Friends and acquaintances marvel that I have spent over 30 years of my life helping electric utilities reduce the effects of these potentially devastating thunder and lightning events. During a recent response to a utility question, I learned that we had sold over 1 million low-profile meter base surge protectors to electric utilities.

“So, does the meter base surge protector work”, I am often asked? My response, “Yes it does!”

In simple terms, the meter base surge protector captures 10-foot tall surge and sends most of it to earth ground outside, leaving a small (less than 2 foot) surge for customers to deal with. This small surge is hardly enough to cause damage though we still recommend plug-in surge protectors for sensitive electronics.

If you work for a utility and are looking for ways to help your customers deal with thunderstorms, or if you would like to acquire a low profile meter base surge protector for your home, send me a note or give us a call. We will be glad to answer questions and share additional knowledge and experiences.