I live in Florida, the lightning capitol of the USA. Our electricity is from Florida Power and Light. They (FPL) will put a whole house surege protector on your house for about $10 per month. If an item is fried due to a power surge, they buy you a new one. SOOO rarely do I even think of a surge protector...especially when I should...like when I go to a class. We had fried wiring at our former home and they paid without question. For us, I think it is money well spent.