Money-minded homeowners are always looking for ways to save money.  Homeowners who implement energy optimization strategies can also optimize their expenses, not only in terms of lowering utility bills, but also through tax breaks for green home improvements and equipment purchases.  Energy optimization is easy for homeowners who follow five simple steps. 
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In Florida and throughout the country, lightning forms a familiar backdrop.  Many people take lightning and electrical surges for granted, simply installing surge protectors and forgetting about the impact that lightning and power surges can have on a home or business. Yet a single lightning strike can cause significant financial loss.  The first step in gaining comprehensive surge protection is to understand the myths and realities of surge protection. 
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Have you ever lost electrical equipment to lightning strikes? If so, you know it can be very costly to repair or even replace you equipment. Not to mention the money you lose from the equipment being down and not producing; whether this has happened to you or not, you should be protecting your investments. Here in Florida, we see lightning damage electrical equipment all too often, but it happens across the country. The best way to protect your business from being without equipment is to be proactive instead of reactive. Because once lightning does the damage, there’s no easy way to reverse it.

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by David Mulvaney, President V-Blox
The answer might surprise you. How many of you when asked by your parents, where you were going, told them you were going to the library to study? What you failed to tell them was that your sweetheart was also at the library and studying wasn’t the only thing on your mind. Many times in life we don’t get the whole story.

For all intents and purposes surge suppression does not save any measurable amount of energy, in and of itself. This is confirmed by asking any Electrical Engineer. But that is not the whole story. The real question should be “Do surges (transients) cause equipment to malfunction?” The answer is, of course, yes. According to Webster’s dictionary, “malfunction” simply means: to fail to function as designed. 

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Energy Management, power factor correction and surge protection is a hot topic right now; everyone is talking about it. V-Blox, a leading energy management company is dedicated to bringing it’s customers the best equipment possible. The equipment helps save energy, reduce downtime and maintanence costs all while helping the environment. Here are just a few examples of what others are saying:

U.S. Department of Energy – “Low Power Factor is expensive and inefficient. Low Power Factor also reduces your electrical system’s distribution capacity by increasing current flow and causing voltage drops. Low power factor is caused by inductive loads (such as motors, transformers, etc.).” 

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What is a Transient Voltage Surge?

Transient Voltage Surges, more commonly known as voltage spikes or voltage surges, are momentary changes in the voltage or current that occurs over a short period of time. Transients are generated by any disruption in the flow of electricity, such as an electric motor turning off, a compressor kicking on, or by as something as simple as turning on or off a light switch. Transients can also be large in magnitude, large enough to cause catastrophic damage to electrical equipment. They exist in virtually every electrical system and if left untreated, will damage electrical equipment and eventually cause equipment failure.

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What is Surge Protection?
Surge Protection or Surge Suppressor is a piece of equipment designed to protect all types of electrical equipment from voltage spikes. The surge protector regulates the voltage an electric device receives by blocking or grounding the voltage so that it is safe for the equipment. Voltage Strikes or Transient Voltage Surges can be caused by lightning, power outages, tripped circuit breakers, short circuits, Power Company malfunctions, electromagnetic pulses, inductive spikes or power transitions in other large equipment on the same power line.

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