Small disturbances in the electric power supply that until recently went unnoticed can become big concerns in today's electronic homes. To help smart homes run smoothly, power companies are developing equipment and approaches for both utilities and their customers, and researchers are investigating how well electronic equipment can tolerate power disturbances while working with manufacturers to make products better able to withstand power variations.

The vast majority of all power problems occur within the customer's own building wiring system. The two major culprits are overloaded circuits and missing or inadequate grounding.

Have you experienced any of the following problems?

• Equipment failure
• Loss of circuit boards
• Power supply problems
• System lockout
• Automatic resets
• Loss of memory
• Data errors

These could be hardware or software failures, but they could also be power-related.

Keep a checklist that will help you identify and resolve some of the more common power problems. Then contact your NPPD customer service center for help. An NPPD representative can meet with you to perform a visual inspection, perform specialized testing and monitoring, and recommend a solution. There may be a fee for service in some cases. NPPD encourages you to contact your electrician first.

The following checklist may help:

• Has any electrical equipment been added or changed?
• Has any work been done on the electrical system recently?
• When was the equipment installed?
• When did the problem arise?
• What time did the problem happen?
• Does the problem occur on a regular basis?
• What else was going on at the time of the problem?
• Was other equipment operating?
• Were large loads coming on?
• Were lights flickering?
• Were there any power outages?
• What other equipment experienced the same problem?
• Is it similar?
• Is it made by the same manufacturer?
• Is it on the same circuit?
• Could nearby equipment on the same circuit be the source of the disturbances?
• Do you see circuit breaker tripping, or over-heated circuit breakers and transformers?
• Do you see any charred insulation or burnt areas caused by arcing?