Just $5.99/month
(24-month lease agreement required)

Includes Lease Equipment (a point of entry TESCO Meter Base Whole House Surge Arrestor); Bonus Equipment (Five (5) FREE PANAMAX point-of-use surge protectors - retail value: $230); and Full Warranties on both the surge protection equipment and the items they are protecting. You can't beat a deal like this!

What is a power surge?
A power surge is a power disturbance or spike that momentarily disrupts the electric supply. It is a brief but very extreme burst of extra energy. In the blink of an eye, the normal 120 volts of electricity feeding your appliances can jump to 400 or even up to 6,000 volts.

Are power surges a new problem?
No. Power surges are a natural result of any electrical activity and have existed ever since Edison ran the first power line. They are generated every time wires, motors, or electrical elements are energized and de-energized.

Why is protecting against power surges important?
Large disturbances can destroy appliances and other electrical equipment. Smaller disturbances are harder to detect and can sometimes be caused by the normal operation of equipment. While these smaller disturbances will not destroy your appliances immediately, over time, these disturbances can cause appliances to break prematurely.

Why is protecting against power surges especially important today?
Electronic technology has changed tremendously in recent decades, and we have become increasingly reliant on this technology—especially computers. The microcircuit chips that our computers use today are faster, smaller, and more densely populated than ever before. Though more powerful, these new chip designs are also more fragile; today’s microchips can’t tolerate small electrical disruptions and are more susceptible to damage than ever before. At the best, failed computer equipment leads to inconvenience and frustration. At the worst, it can have devastating effects with financial or even life and death consequences when communications and medical equipment is disrupted. Protecting this equipment and us from the devastating effects of equipment failure is important—and that’s where surge protection comes in.

What causes power surges?
Many different things can lead to power surges. Common external causes of power surges include lightning strikes, and anything that comes into contact with the electric distribution system, such as trees falling on power lines, or animals getting into distribution substations. Power surges don’t always come through electrical lines—they can also enter the home through cable and telephone lines. Inside the home, bad wiring or faulty electrical equipment, such as a bad air conditioner, can cause power surges.

What are some possible signs that there has been a power surge?
Signs of power disturbances include flashing clocks on appliances, computer lockups or data corruption, electronic appliance failures, and flickering lights.

What kind of equipment do I need to protect my home from power surges?
The best way to protect your home is on two levels—inside the home, and outside the home. To protect your home from external power surges, you can have a surge protector installed on your electric meter. This “whole-house protector” will protect most appliances, such as furnaces, air conditioners, washers, refrigerators, and dryers. Electronic equipment, such as computers, fax machines, televisions, stereos, and VCRs, is more sensitive and requires a second level of protection that is installed on the wall outlet. This is called “point-of-use surge protection”. Point-of-use surge protectors include cable television line and phone line protectors, as well.

Where can I get this kind of equipment, and how much will it cost?
TESCO whole house surge protectors may be leased from MP&W for $5.99/month. The first time you enter into a surge protection lease agreement with MP&W, you will be given, free of charge, five PANAMAX brand, point-of-use surge protectors (approx. retail value: $230).

Can't I just use the kind of surge protectors you buy at the hardware store?
Can’t I just use the kind of surge protectors you buy at the hardware store?
While typical store bought surge protectors do provide some level of protection, their quality varies, and they typically cannot handle large surges. To truly protect your home and equipment, you will need to use whole-house and point-of-use surge protectors together.

Why does MP&W provide surge protection equipment?
The best way to protect a home is to install a whole-house surge protector on the electric meter. Installing this kind of equipment requires the participation of the electric utility, so it makes sense for MP&W to offer this equipment as a service to our customers. Offering surge protection services is a just one more way we’re working hard to do more for you!

Can I install this equipment myself?
You cannot install a whole-house surge protector yourself, however, installation is free through our lease program.

Does surge protection equipment require any additional wiring?
A home’s electrical wiring must have proper grounding for surge protection equipment to be effective. If your home does not have properly grounded wiring, it would need to be grounded to required specifications.

What is involved in the installation process?
To install the surge protection equipment, we first test your home’s electrical grounding. If your home has proper grounding, we will install your whole-house surge protector. This involves removing your electric meter, so your electricity will be off for a short period of time. After installing the whole-house protector, we will provide you with the point-of-use surge protectors for your installation.

Do I need to protect all the appliances in my home with a point-of-use protector?
The whole-house protector provides adequate protection for most home appliances. The only appliances that require the additional protection of point-of-use protectors are electronic devices such as computers, televisions, and stereo equipment.

What guarantee to I have that this equipment will protect my home?
There is no way to be sure that any surge protection equipment will protect your home from all power surges. Some surges such as direct lightning strikes can be too large for even the best surge protection equipment to handle, and damage can still occur. This equipment does greatly reduce the chance that your home will see damage from a power surge. Best of all, both the whole-house and point-of-use protectors carry insurance to pay for damages caused by power surges.

Doesn't my homeowners insurance already cover damages from power surges?
Your homeowners insurance probably covers damages from power surges. It probably also requires a deductible. If your insurance has a deductible that is higher than the cost of the surge protection equipment, then the surge protection equipment will pay for itself in one claim. Another thing to consider is damage from small power surges. Small surges can shorten the life of appliances. Your homeowner’s insurance policy probably won’t cover this damage because you could not prove small power surges caused the appliance to break. In this case, surge protection equipment might save you the cost of having to replace appliances as often.

If I have an appliance damaged by a power surge, how do I make a claim?
If the damage is due to the failure of the TESCO whole-house surge protector, contact MP&W within thirty (30) days of the incident: (563) 262-3422. We’ll assist you with your claim. If the damage is due to the failure of a PANAMAX point-of-use surge protector, contact PANAMAX directly at 1-800-472-5555.

Is there anything in my home that is not covered by the surge protector's warranty?
The product warranty specifically does not cover well pumps, sprinkler systems, and hard-wired security systems. The warranty will cover everything else so long as the surge protection equipment is properly installed.

What happens if my surge protection equipment breaks?
MP&W will replace your TESCO whole-house surge protector, free of charge, if it fails anytime while it is installed on your home. The PANAMAX point-of-use surge protectors come with a lifetime warranty. If a point-of-use surge protectors fails, you will need to secure a replacement directly through PANAMAX at 1-800-472-5555.

What if I have the equipment installed and then move during the lease period?
If you lease surge protection equipment and then decide to move within MP&W’s electric service territory, MP&W will take the whole-house protector from your old home and move it to your new home. We will move the whole-house surge protector once for free, and charge $45 for any additional moves. If you move outside MP&W’s electric service territory, MP&W will remove the whole-house surge protector from your old home, but cannot install it on your new home. In this instance, we will cancel your agreement without penalty. Following the termination of your lease, the PANAMAX point-of-use surge protectors are yours to keep.

What happens when I reach the end of the minimum required two-year lease agreement period?
The Electro-Shield Advantage Program requires a two (2) year lease agreement. After your initial two-year lease period has expired, the agreement will be automatically renewed on a month-to-month basis until terminated by either you or MP&W.