Whole House Surge Protectors

Last week the lights went out due to a really bad thunderstorm.  When the lights came back on we reset all of the electronic clocks in our current house.  We woke up the next morning to find that the microwave was not working...no power at all...how could this be, the microwave is only 3 years old and we reset the clock so we know it was working before we went to bed.   So we did some research online...we tried to unplug and plug it back in, we check the socket to make sure it was ok, NOTHING!!!  We called GE, who sent out a technician, who told us that the circuit board was fried.  Of course, the microwave is over a year old and no longer under warranty.  So we asked how much it would cost to fix it...the technician worked out a deal that was less than replacing the microwave, which is also the vent over the range.  He also suggested that we purchase a surge protector, which may help prevent this from happening again.  The GE technician ordered the parts and we received them on Monday.  When the GE technician returned today to fix the microwave, he informed us that a house down the street from us go hit by lightning, which may have sent a surge that blew out the microwave. 

We are so very lucky that none of our other appliances or electronics were affected.  All of this got us thinking about our new house and how many appliances and electronics are now equipped with circuit boards and gadgets that can be affected from a power surge ... refrigerator, washer, dryer, microwave, TV, double oven, and the list goes on and on.   Then we Googled "Whole House Surge Protectors" to see if such a thing exist --- it does exist and it is even at a reasonable cost.  So then we reached out to RH to see if a Whole House Surge Protector is provided, we received a response from our PM and of course the answer was 'NO'. 

Now we are doing research to determine which surge protector we should purchase, how much it will cost to purchase/install, etc.  So once again we reach out to our fellow bloggers...does anyone have any advice, additional info, or words of wisdom that you wish to share to help us make our decision?

Additional info:
HGTV PRO.COM - Whole House Surge Protectors: Protect All Your Electronics
This Old House - Surge Protection

APPLIANCES

We didn't make it out to the house today; however, we did accomplish to purchase a few appliances (refrigerator, washer, and dryer).   We purchase all of our appliances from Bridgeville Appliance, a local appliance store owned by the Pelino family and we are very loyal to them.  Their prices are comparable to the bigger stores, but it is the customer service that keeps us coming back.  We deal directly with the niece of the owner and she is very knowledgeable and helpful; not a pushy salesperson. 

Below are a few pictures of the appliances from GE's website:


GE Profile 25.1 cu ft
French door bottom freezer refrigerator
Model#: PFSS5RKZSS



GE Profile 25.1 cu ft
French door bottom freezer refrigerator
Model#: PFSS5RKZSS

GE Profile Harmony 4.5 DOE cu ft
Washer
Model#: PTWN8050MWW

GE Profile Harmony 7.3 cu ft
Electric Steam Dryer
Model #: PTDS850EMWW

Well hopefully we will make it out to the house on Friday or sometime this weekend. 

Happy Building everyone!!!