[Ooper]

I agree with Hawkwind... any kind of surge protection doesn't hurt, but it isn't going to do you much good if you take a direct hit. Lightning is going to go where it wants, with or without a surge protector. The insurance policies you get with them are going to be practically impossible to collect on. Having a whole house surge protector should not give you peace of mind. The better thing to do is to have a lightning grounding rod system installed... more expensive but more effective. Notice I said "a better thing to do"... this still isn't a 100% cure all if you take a hit, but it should be better than a surge protector.