FAQs

Do I need lightning protection for my home?

Your home is probably your single largest investment, and Florida is the lightning capital of the United States.

• Thunderstorms occur in Florida approximately 100 days out of the year, compared to California’s low of only 5.
• Lightning hits each square mile in Central Florida 40 times a year. ¹
• Homes are filled with electronics and appliances that are vulnerable to lightning strikes

Whether you include the system in your new home during construction or add it to your existing home, it’s clear to see…lightning and surge protection is a wise investment.

How often does lightning strike?

Data from NOAA and the National Lightning Detection Network shows that over the continental U.S. alone, an average of 20,000,000 cloud-to-ground flashes occur every year. And worldwide, lightning strikes the ground about 100 times each second, or 8 million times a day!

Why is Florida called the lightning capital of the US?

Florida experiences thunderstorms on nearly one-third of the days in a year. In “lightning alley”, an area from Tampa to Orlando, there are as many as 50 strikes per 1 square mile per year.

Its unique geography is a key reason why Florida earns this distinction, especially during the summer. The Gulf of Mexico, to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean, to the east, surround the state and help to keep a warm and moist environment in place. This environment combines with strong summer sunshine, which heats the ground and causes warm air to rise. This creates small frontal boundaries along the east and west coasts, called sea breezes. These sea breezes push inland through the afternoon and allow thunderstorms to develop along the boundary. These boundaries often collide over the Central Florida Peninsula and generate additional thunderstorms that could become large and severe.

Because thunderstorm activity peaks in the summertime, when the most people are working outdoors or enjoying outdoor activities, Florida often leads the nation in injuries and fatalities from lightning. ²

How does lightning enter my home?

There are three main ways lightning enters structures: a direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure, and through the ground. Once in a structure, lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal in concrete walls or flooring.³  This is why Florida Lightning Protection always recommends a combination of structural protection against direct lightning strikes in combination with a surge protection system.  Our six point system is desirable for complete protection.

How much is the average lightning damage insurance claim?

$6400.00.  Due to the ever increasing number and value of consumer electronics in our homes, the average cost per claim just keeps increasing.  Between 2004 and 2012, the average lightning claim rose from $2646 to $6400.  That is a 142% increase, and during the same time, the consumer price index only rose 21.5%.⁴

How much does lightning and surge protection for my home cost?

The cost of a lightning protection system is determined by many factors including: the size and height of your home, the number of systems you need to protect, and architectural features and elements. If you are installing lightning and surge protection during new construction, the cost can be nominal. Let us give you a free risk assessment, design and a quote to determine the system that is perfect for your home and budget. We can design a system for your new construction or to add to your current home.