Said It Here

Is an entire-home surge protector worth it?

Contractors frequently recommend surge protectors to guard major appliances against increasing storms and power outages. Without knowing if the investment is actually worth it, homeowners get stuck seeking second opinions or alternative quotes instead of proceeding with the work.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Hiring an electrician to install a whole-house surge protector on the main panel instead of individual units.
  2. 2
    Doing a DIY installation of a whole-house surge protector at the breaker.
  3. 3
    Getting secondary quotes from dedicated electricians rather than HVAC contractors.

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/hvacadvice1 person · October 2026

“My local HVAC company is suggesting they install surge protectors for my mini-split and main furnace (see quote below). They said with more storms and power outages happening it would be good protection. Should I do it? Or get a quote from an electrician?”source ↗

Shortytaco277 · r/hvacadvice · 2 upvotes
r/askanelectrician1 person · September 2026

“Looking for second opinions on whether an entire-home surge protector would be worth it”source ↗

“If you were in my shoes, would you pursue the surge protector or nah?”source ↗

petiterunner · r/askanelectrician

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised