As an experienced HVAC installer, you may already be aware of the critical protection that surge protection devices provide for your customers’ HVAC systems. And with the increasing frequency of power disruptions and their unpredictability, there’s a growing need to install surge protection solutions to ensure that these systems remain up and running when needed most.

This informative guide is designed to help you answer one critical question, why surge protection? Both from a customer’s and installer’s point of view. Armed with this information, you can confidently educate your customers on the exciting value proposition that HVAC surge protection provides, while increasing sales and customer retention.

Why Surge Protection?

Many people may not know just how important surge protection is for HVAC systems. From keeping people comfortable in their homes to sustaining environmental conditions in industrial applications like food processing and pharmaceuticals, almost every household and business depends on HVAC systems to maintain environmental stability and comfort. Most often, it isn’t until an HVAC system fails that people realize how much they take indoor heating and cooling for granted.

HVAC systems also tend to be one of the largest energy expenses for homes or businesses. In fact, air conditioners use about 6% of all the electricity produced in the United States. Consequently, HVAC systems are incredibly vulnerable to damaging power surges and spikes, both external and internal, which can take a system out of service without warning.

Global developments have recently increased the frequency and likelihood of damaging power surges. The US power grid is showing its age, with much of the current system decades old. With electricity consumption outpacing infrastructure improvements, the grid switching required to meet shifts in demand makes the entire system vulnerable to electrical power disruptions, surges, and spikes.

Given what is known about power surges, their sources, and their likelihood, one would believe this information would be enough to convince home and business owners of the importance of surge protection for their HVAC systems. Unfortunately, that is not the case. For customers to truly understand the benefits of surge protection, it often takes an HVAC professional to put those benefits in terms of dollars and cents.

Learn More: 3 Ways Your Customers Save with Surge Protection

First and foremost, surge protection protects a customer’s initial financial investment in what is likely to be the most expensive piece of equipment they own. One damaging power surge has the potential to render an HVAC system useless within seconds, resulting in either whole or partial system repair. In the worst-case scenario, surge damage requires entire system replacement, making simple power disruptions an expensive risk. Such repairs and replacements are often not covered by insurance policies or warranties, leaving owners to foot the bill.

Furthermore, HVAC system repairs and associated downtime can be costly. From ensuring businesses stay up and running to keeping homes cool and connected, HVAC systems play an important role in daily life. When these systems experience downtime due to a power surge or spike, the associated costs go beyond that of system repair/replacement. There are also many hidden and unforeseen costs associated with HVAC system downtime, including losses related to business shutdown, non-compliance, employee satisfaction, brand reputation, and more.

Read More: How to Reduce HVAC System Downtime

A layered application of surge protection devices (SPDs) is one of the few ways to prevent the high costs associated with system repair or replacement. To really drive home the cost-benefit ratio for customers, the total cost of surge protection is typically less than the sales tax on the systems they protect. This means that surge protection only requires a small upfront investment to protect from larger expenses down the road.

In the short term, HVAC system replacement and repair may sound beneficial to your business since it directly equates to billable sales. However, this short-term thinking is damaging in the long-term as unreliable, vulnerable systems are a direct threat to your company’s reputation. When a power surge leads to equipment failure or damage, customers are quick to blame the installer as they do not truly know what caused the problem. Word of mouth spreads quickly and customers can share and view public feedback easier than ever. System downtime, loss of customer confidence, and frequent system repairs caused by unaddressed voltage irregularities damage your brand and can lead to lost business.

Learn More: 3 Reasons to Offer Voltage Monitoring to Your HVAC Customer

Professionals that are willing to go beyond the basics to deliver high-quality installations and customer service are rewarded with strong brand loyalty. HVAC installers offering voltage monitoring and surge protection solutions position themselves as a trusted partner within the industry. Offering these solutions will protect you and your business from potentially negative feedback, and should be a part of any comprehensive HVAC system proposal.

Recommending voltage monitoring and surge protection solutions to your customers is also an easy add-on that can boost your bottom line. Unfortunately, many HVAC providers shy away from adding this critical element to a Bill of Materials (BoM) due to fear of pricing themselves out of a project. However, installers who can effectively communicate the return on investment (ROI) of a voltage monitoring product stand to benefit from its sale. When in doubt, consider adding voltage monitoring and surge protection to the BoM as an optional protection upgrade. Once you are given the chance to educate your customer on the benefits of these solutions, they will undoubtedly see the need, creating a win-win solution for both parties.

Discover How HVAC Distributors Can Profit from Surge Protection

Choosing the Right Solution

DITEK’s DTK-KG2 is specifically designed to protect HVAC equipment from harmful under-voltage and over-voltage events that can damage sensitive electronic and mechanical components within the system. The DTK-KG2 is essentially a safety switch, monitoring both legs of power and protecting against mini split failure. It incorporates DITEK’s state-of-the-art surge protection design to shield the equipment from damaging transient voltage surges and spikes. Diagnostic red and green LEDs located on the DTK-KG2 indicate exactly what voltage condition is present, making identification of harmful power fluctuations easy. The unit’s UL Type 4X polycarbonate enclosure is designed to withstand harsh outdoor conditions and its compact design is purpose-built for fast, efficient installation.

See How DITEK’s Kool Guard Voltage Monitoring System Gave “Peace of Mind” to This Tampa Family

Choosing the Right Surge Protection Partner

For a distributor and installer, the best provider is one who can provide support along with the resources you need to increase your sales and revenue with surge protective devices. DITEK products are available immediately from stock – a factor that is more meaningful now than ever, as supply chain problems continue to plague many providers.

For your customers, it is important to know that the products they are purchasing were made in the USA. This is an indicator of quality that can be highly significant and even make the difference that leads to a purchase. They can also recognize the difference in quality between products which are available to all consumers at big-box retailers, and those that are sold only through professional distributers. DITEK is committed to delivering reliable products of the highest quality, made in the USA, to ensure the satisfaction of both you and your customer.

Contact us now to learn more about DITEK surge protection for HVAC Systems