I live in the Chicago area and we have a lot of summer storms as well. I still plug my Audio Research Ref 110 straight into the wall. I would not have my amp turned on during a storm. Power strips can have a negative effect on the sound.. There are power conditioners especially for amps. Shunyata made a 2 outlet version of the Hydra. They usually sell for around $300
I had an older PS Audio Power Plant, not the Premier. It did have a very positive on the sound. But I had a lot of problems with it kicking off after I got a tube CD player. I already had a tube preamp You certainly could not plug a power amp into it. I do not know what kind of draw the Premier will handle.