We contract with an electrical utility to supply are homes and businesses with power. They supply this power, from a power generation facility, through an elaborate electrical grid and then connect it to our home or business with overhead wires or via an underground connection. Is it reasonable for us to assume that the energy that is supplied and the method used to supply it, is clean and safe? Apparently not! More and more U.S. electrical utilities are suggesting to their customers that they install whole house surge protection along with specific use surge protectors for high value items such as computers and home entertainment centers. Depending on the utility the fees range from free installation to an installation charge of $95, monthly fees from $6 to $10 and committed contracts for three to five years. Now I am quite aware that many electrical surges in our homes and businesses do not originate on the power lines, some surges come over cable TV and telephone lines. In many cases the wires, whether they are power, cable TV or telephone are just the delivery mechanism and the actual surge was picked up from lightning striking the ground or the actual wires themselves and there is very little a utility or communication company can do to prevent the damage that might be caused by such an incident. However, some of the electrical surges are a direct result of; too little power on the grid, over demand and the installation of overhead power lines. Yet we are being asked to cover the cost of protecting our homes and businesses from a commodity that we are paying for in the first place. The question is; should the property owner be responsible for providing surge protection in order to safe guard their installed electrical equipment, or should the utility take the responsibility both morally and economically of providing surge protection? |
