Lightning strikes cost billions

LightningLightning.Photo:Pixabay

Just under two billion kroner have been paid out in compensation for lightning strikes over the past ten years.

 

90,000 lightning strikes were registered in Norway last year, according to NELFO, the National Association of NHO, the union for
electrical, ecom, and elevator companies.


Damage caused by lightning costs, on average, NOK 15,000. Since July and August are usually the high season for lightning and
thunder, the chances of paying such a bill are greatest in the summer.

Norway also has a power grid that is particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes. The problems are the greatest in the districts where the
aerial power lines are longest, wrote the National Association.

NELFO therefore recommends a surge protector, an insurance that protects  important data.

‘With  good surge protection, your data is protected from being damaged by lightning strikes, or failures in the high voltage grid.
Over-voltage on the power or telephone network can damage the TV, decoder, router, PC, and home appliances, water heater,
phones, alarm systems and other devices connected to a power source. A good surge protector prevents such damage effectively’,
said Bjørn Sørensen, Head of Electrical Safety at NELFO.

According to Sørensen, it’s important to focus on two types of surge protection. A ‘coarse protection’ for the power supply, and a
‘finer’ that’s placed between the electrical outlet and each device.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today