What the Residential Section Covers

Surge protective devices (SPDs) are used throughout today's homes and apartments: 

• Plug-in devices (power strips)
• Hard-wired devices 

The residential section of the NEMA Surge Protection Institute website covers both types of devices, and provides the consumer with the information he or she needs to make solid decisions about protecting electronic equipment in the home, such as:

• home office equipment
• home theater equipment
• landscaping
• lighting systems
• appliances

This section does not cover protection of:

• coaxial cable 
• telephone or modem lines

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How to Use this Website

In addition to providing direct links to commonly used resources such as the glossary and standards listing, this website is organized into three types of facilities where surge protective devices, or SPDs, are used:

• residential
• industrial
• commercial

Begin using the links to the left to learn more about electrical surges, what damage they can cause, and how to prevent it.  

The site is set up to provide an easy-to-read progression through each section, and "next" buttons at the bottom of each page guide you through.

Or, simply jump ahead to an area of interest.

• Toggle definitions.  At the top of every page, you may select the type of facility your question pertains to.  In general, the industrial and commercial pages contain more technical details than the residential.
• FAQs. Chances are, someone else has asked us the same question you may have. Visit the FAQs section to find out, or submit your question to us.
• E-mail the webmaster.  If you can't find what you're looking for, drop us a note and we'll respond within 48 hours.

NEXT: What is a Surge? >>