Lightning might feel unpredictable, but the harm it can cause is very real. With storms becoming more frequent and intense, buildings across the UK face growing risk. Read on to find out why a properly designed lightning protection system matters, and how it ties into effective lightning strike prevention and lightning risk management for your property.
What Happens When Lightning Strikes an Unprotected Building?
When lightning hits a building that has no protection, the effects can be immediate and severe. A strike can:
- Ignite fires in roof voids or wall cavities.
- Damage structural elements such as brickwork, cladding and roofing materials.
- Blow out electrical systems, destroying consumer units, wiring and appliances.
- Send dangerous surges along power and data cabling, frying servers, alarms and other equipment.
Even indirect strikes matter. A strike nearby can induce voltages in metalwork and cabling that have the same destructive effect as a direct hit. The result is danger to people, disruption to operations and potentially huge repair bills.
How a Lightning Protection System Works
A lightning protection system does not prevent lightning from forming. Instead, it gives the lightning’s electrical energy a predictable and safe route to earth. Key components are:
- Air termination devices, such as roof-mounted rods or tapes, to intercept a strike.
- Conductors that carry the charge down the exterior of the building to the earth system.
- Earth electrodes that disperse the energy safely into the ground.
- Surge protection devices installed on electrical and data circuits to guard equipment from transient overvoltages.
Together these parts form a controlled route that minimises the energy transfer into the building fabric and internal services. A correctly installed system follows BS EN 62305 and is designed after a full risk assessment, which is at the heart of good lightning risk management.
Preventing Damage to Electrical Systems and Structure
The most immediate benefit of a lightning protection system is protecting the things that keep your building running. A well-specified system:
- Reduces the chance of fire caused by direct strikes.
- Stops structural damage caused by explosive forces within masonry and cladding.
- Shields electrical distribution and sensitive electronics from damaging surges.
- Lowers the risk of downtime for businesses that rely on IT, alarms and communications.
Surge protection devices are particularly important. They sit between external supply lines and your internal systems, absorbing and diverting surge energy so that servers, security systems and critical machinery survive events that would otherwise be catastrophic. This is a practical, tangible part of lightning strike prevention.
Long-Term Cost Savings of Proper Installation
Installing a lightning protection system is an investment that pays off over time. Consider the costs of not protecting your building:
- Emergency repairs after a fire or structural failure.
- Replacement of specialist electrical or IT equipment.
- Business interruption losses from downtime.
- Higher insurance premiums or disputed claims where protection should have been in place.
By comparison, a professionally designed system with routine maintenance can be a fraction of those costs, and insurers often look favourably on properties with documented protection and testing. Good lightning risk management therefore reduces both short-term exposure and long-term financial risk.
Why a Lightning Risk Assessment Matters
Not every building needs the same level of protection. A BS EN 62305-compliant risk assessment takes into account factors such as location, building height, use, value of contents and presence of vulnerable equipment. The assessment tells you what level of protection is appropriate and ensures you invest in the right solutions rather than over- or under-specifying.
Choose Experience for Real Protection
Installing and maintaining a lightning protection system requires expertise. Bacon Group offers experienced, standards-led design, installation and maintenance services that cover the full risk management lifecycle. We conduct thorough site surveys, produce clear recommendations, install compliant systems and carry out ongoing maintenance to ensure lasting protection.
To learn more about how we can help with lightning strike prevention and lightning risk management, visit our services page.
Lightning protection is not about stopping the weather. It is about protecting people, safeguarding assets and reducing the financial impact of storms. A correctly assessed and installed system brings peace of mind and real savings over the long term.
If you manage a building that houses valuable equipment, people or business-critical systems, book a risk assessment today and make sure you are protected before the next UK storm.