Whole-house surge protection
There is more electronics in an ordinary Hills home now than there was in an office twenty years ago. Almost none of it is protected.
What a surge actually destroys
People picture a direct lightning strike. That happens, but it's rare and largely unsurvivable. The damage that actually occurs is from smaller transients — a nearby strike inducing a spike on the line, the network switching, a large motor on the same feeder stopping, or power being restored after an outage. These arrive constantly and each one takes a small bite out of the electronics in your house.
What dies, in roughly the order we see it:
- Solar inverters. Thousands of dollars, and permanently connected to both the grid and a long DC array acting as an aerial.
- EV chargers. Expensive, hardwired, and increasingly common.
- Automation and lighting control gear — C-Bus, Dynalite, smart switching. Individually small, collectively a fortune, and often no longer manufactured.
- Appliance control boards. The dishwasher still turns, the board doesn't. Frequently more than the appliance is worth.
- Networking gear, garage doors, gate motors, pool controllers, alarms.
Add it up for your own house. It is usually a five-figure number, and the protection costs a few hundred.
Type 1, 2 and 3 — what the numbers mean
Type 1 is for installations exposed to direct strike risk, typically where there's an external lightning protection system. Uncommon domestically.
Type 2 is the main event for houses: fitted at the switchboard, it clamps transients arriving on the incoming supply before they reach anything. This is what most people mean by whole-house surge protection.
Type 3 is point-of-use — the powerboard behind your TV. Useful as a final layer, useless on its own, because it only protects what's plugged into it and does nothing for hardwired equipment like your inverter, oven, gate motor or EV charger.
The sensible domestic arrangement is Type 2 at the board, plus Type 3 at anything irreplaceable. And it genuinely needs to be at the board: on acreage especially, a surge that arrives on the mains reaches your hardwired equipment without ever passing a powerboard.
What surge protection costs
Sydney, 2026. Almost always fitted during other switchboard work, which is cheaper than a dedicated visit.
| The job | Price |
|---|---|
| Type 2 surge protection fitted at the switchboardWhere the board has spare capacity and a suitable arrangement | $300 – $700 |
| Fitted during a switchboard upgradeMarginal cost while the board is already open — the cheapest time by far | add $250 – $500 |
| Surge protection for a solar or hybrid inverterDC-side protection as well as AC. Worth it given what an inverter costs | $400 – $900 |
| Board with no spare capacityThe board itself has to be addressed first | see switchboard upgrades |
These are indicative market ranges for Sydney in 2026, not a quote. What you pay depends on your switchboard, access and what we find. We confirm a fixed price before starting, and it doesn't move.
Surge protection questions
Is whole-house surge protection worth it?
Compare the cost against what's actually hardwired in your house. If you have solar, an EV charger, automation gear or ducted air, you're protecting five figures of equipment for a few hundred dollars. On a rural feeder with frequent outages, it's an easy call.
Doesn't my powerboard already protect things?
Only what's plugged into it, and only imperfectly. It does nothing for your solar inverter, EV charger, oven, ducted air, gate motor or lighting control — all of which are hardwired and all of which are expensive.
Will surge protection stop lightning damage?
It will handle the induced transients that cause the overwhelming majority of surge damage. A direct strike on your own building is a different matter, and no domestic device is honestly sold as protection against that.
How long does a surge protector last?
They degrade as they absorb events, which is why quality units have a status indicator. On an exposed rural feeder they work harder and don't last as long. Worth a glance whenever the board is open.
Does home insurance cover surge damage?
Often, but usually with an excess per claim and sometimes with conditions. Two claims and an excess each time will typically exceed what protection would have cost — and it doesn't help with automation gear that's no longer made.
Can it be added to my existing switchboard?
Usually, if there's space and a suitable arrangement. If the board is full or has no RCD protection, that's a bigger conversation, and fitting surge protection during the upgrade is the cheapest way to get both.
What customers say
Jason onsite quickly and completed the work on the spot, giving us a good price and was very polite. Would highly recommend.
Jason solved a really complex problem for our house with excellent professionalism and workmanship. Highly recommend, would def work with him again. On time delivery and within budget.
Fantastic service! Friendly, efficient and well priced. Highly recommend. Thank you for swiftly fixing our switches.
These are Google reviews for our team at Cync Electrical & Automation — the licensed contractor behind Hills Electrician. 5.0 from 20 reviews. — see the profile
Got solar, an EV charger or automation gear?
That's the case for protecting the board. Call 0422 253 379 and we'll tell you what's involved.
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