I was talking to an electrician about whole house surge protection and he basically didn't under the purpose. Does it shut down everything at the breaker box when a surge comes in, preventing the surge from entering the house? In that case, it would have to be reset manaully? Basically what this guy was saying is that if your home is properly grounded at the meter outside, he didn't understand the need for this.
I'm not sure where you live, but that electrician is an idiot. Yes it pops the circut and the eats the surge before anything in your house gets hit. I suggest you get another electrician that knows what he is talking about because while that one is not wrong about proper grounding, it does not do shit against surges.