Chances are that you have no idea as to whether your insurer can cover solar panels as a separate standalone cover option, or whether any action is required on your part to make sure the newly installed solar panels, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems and/or generators are included in your existing home insurance product offering.
What are the main benefits of solar panels?
The biggest benefit of solar power is probably the fact that it has virtually no negative impact on the environment. That’s a big plus, especially when you compare this with hydro or coal-powered electricity solutions.
The additional cost benefit (think no electricity bills, ever) makes this one of South African’s most popular and cost-effective alternative energy solutions. Once you’ve paid the initial cost of installation, of course.
Does my home insurance cater for the inclusion of newly installed solar panels?
Yes, definitely.
- If this system is fixed to your home (i.e. not moveable), we will be able to make provision for this under our buildings insurance product.
- If you already have buildings insurance with us, you simply need to give us a call and we’ll add this to the list of fixtures and fittings. Your premium be updated as well as the total sum insured. The total sum insured will then be updated accordingly.
- If you have buildings insurance somewhere else, now is as good a time as any to contact us for a quote and see if we could offer you a better deal.
I live in an estate and the buildings insurance is covered by my monthly levy. Can I insure my solar system only?
Unfortunately not. Solar systems form part of our buildings insurance product offering and cannot be offered as standalone cover.
The best way forward would be to contact the Home Owner’s Association (HOA) or the body corporate and request that solar systems are included as part of the existing buildings insurance. If you are renting the property, you will need to ask the owner to raise this with the HOA or body corporate.
How do I know if I need a battery backup or a UPS system?
Battery backups are great for small-sized business or if you’re working from home. The backup power kicks in automatically when there are power outages and serves to protect plugged-in devices (e.g. computers) against power outages.
A UPS system provides a consistent power supply to critical devices that need to continue running, making this a perfect option for bigger corporates or businesses with sensitive electronic equipment.
Does OUTsurance offer insurance cover for UPS systems?
Yes, most definitely.
- We make provision for UPS systems under our home contents insurance product offering (if loose and moveable) and will update the contents sum insured value based on the replacement value of these items.
- If the UPS is fixed to the building, it will fall under our buildings insurance product.
Keep in mind, that we do not insure your generator or UPS system on a standalone basis, you will need to include this as part of your existing buildings insurance or home contents insurance cover.
What are the pros and cons of using a generator as a power backup solution?
Alternative energy solutions like generators are seen as expensive to maintain (think fuel prices) and it also falls into the non-environmentally friendly category.
Even so, standby power generators are used in many South African homes to provide ‘some sense of normality’ during a scheduled power outage (i.e. load shedding). It senses a ‘loss in power’ and will automatically kick in within a few seconds after load shedding hits.
Can I cover a generator under home insurance?
At OUTsurance, we have quite a few cover options available, depending on whether the generator is fixed, loose, or portable (i.e. easy to move around from one location to another).
- Buildings insurance - Where the generator is built-in (i.e. fixed) and cannot be taken with you when you move house, you need to cover this as part of your buildings cover. If you do not have buildings insurance with us, we’re more than happy to assist you with a quote so that you can move your buildings insurance cover to us.
- Contents insurance: garden and leisure equipment - If the generator is left outside, but moveable – we will be able to cover this under contents insurance. As a condition of cover, we may ask you to make sure to keep the generator out of direct rain.
- Home contents insurance: The third scenario refers to a generator that is relatively small and kept in a garage. In this case, it’s an easy solve and we can cover the generator under our home contents insurance product.
- OUT-and-About cover: A portable generator is much smaller in size and is the perfect option when going camping or for use by contractors to be able to continue working during scheduled load shedding or unexpected power outages. In this case, we will cover this under OUT-and-About insurance product.
Click here to chat to an OUTsurance consultant about adding insurance for solar panels to your existing OUTsurance buildings insurance or home contents insurance package.