Do I need surge protection if the building has lightning rods?

Yes, absolutely! In the rare event of a direct lighting strike to a building, structural damage to the building can normally be prevented by the use of lightning rods or other lightning protection system (LPS). But, lightning protection systems offer little protection against lightning and other transient surge damage to electronics within a building. This means that although a LPS should reduce or eliminate the risk of the roof or another part of the building being damaged by a direct lightning strike, only a whole home surge protection system can protect the owner’s investment in electrical and electronic equipment. This is clearly stated in Section 1.1.1.1 in the IEEE publication How to Protect Your House and Its Contents from Lightning (IEEE Guide for Surge Protection of Equipment Connected to AC Power and Communication Circuits).

HOW IT WORKS

System integrators offer an unique understanding of how electronic systems are powered, how they communicate, and what they are designed to do. Because of this knowledge the integrator is the best person to design a custom surge protection system for a building. The integrator knows all the copper wiring that enters and leaves the building, and how and where they can install surge protection units without disruption or having to reprogram systems. This makes the system's integrator an intricate and indispensable part of designing any whole home surge protection system.

CLIENT BENEFITS

A Transient Protection Design system is close to 100% effective in stopping all damaging surge activity on both power and data lines. Having a systems integrator that can quickly diagnoses and explain potentially damaging situations is of great benefit to the building owner. A TPD system offers huge benefits and future ROI saving to the owner, especially when the facility contains building automation and lighting control systems.