A Little Planning Can Save Big Bucks ; Surge Protectors, Flourescent Lights Can Pad Your Wallet

It is a well-known axiom that nearby lightning strikes and electronic equipment in your home do not mix well.

Costly damage to televisions, telephones, computers and other equipment can occur when a power surge from a nearby strike enters the home through the wiring system.

"We try to emphasize wholehouse surge protection," said Mike McGrew of Mr. Electric in Kettering. "People are buying these plasma TVs and highdefinition TVs and they don't think about protecting them from surges."

McGrew said that a wholehouse surge protector can be installed at the electric panel to provide protection for everything.

McBride also has a suggestion for reducing the amount of electricity that such appliances draw by installing a device such as the Power-Save 1200.

"What it does is clean up the power from the electric company," he said. "It is like a capacitor and stores energy and evens out the power so you use less kilowatts per month of electricity."

Another way to cut power usage is by using compact fluorescent bulbs, said Sally McBride of Becker Electric in Dayton. The ugly, flickering, blue-cast bulbs of yesterday are now a thing of the past.

"(Today's bulbs) emulate daylight color," McBride said. "You can even get a three-way bulb in your table lamp and they have dimmable compact fluorescents."

She added that fluorescents can now be used in outdoor lighting as well as being controlled by photocells.

"These cost a little more but they save so much energy," she said.

Light your way to savings

- Mr. Electric: (937) 436-1303

- Becker Electric: (937) 226-1341

(c) 2007 Dayton Daily News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.