Thank you for bringing this subject - perhaps now whole house protection will be viewed as something standard/required.
As
@jea48 corrected me it is required now, though a retrofit is not mandatory for older homes I do hope most people who can afford to do so will make these upgrades. In addition to the life safety issues with which the NEC is primarily concerned with, I have so many home automation or accessories that I cannot surge protect that the surge protector is a small part of the overall investment.
This includes more delicate things like my fire alarms and automated light switches in addition to what may be my most precious appliances right now, my air conditioning units. :)