Recently a listener had his personal home computer plugged into a quality surge suppressor strip to protect it from nasty high-voltage power spikes. It had all the bells and whistles. Still, when a power surge happened, it cooked his computer -- in spite of the suppressor. He lived in a home built before 1963. These homes typically were not wired with grounded outlets. So, while our listener thought he was protected, in reality the electrical power surge had nowhere to go. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It only can be changed from one form to another, like the intense heat that cooked his computer. Or it is channeled away to a safe location through a ground wire that sends it into earth. This is what a surge suppressor does unless it isn't grounded. It's useless, if ungrounded. In any home, old or new, be sure outlets for expensive electronics, like computers, are properly grounded -- or else have your checkbook handy. And that's the On The House tip for today.