Have you read your insurance terms and conditions properly?
Some South African insurance companies are not covering equipment damage caused by a power surge, while others only cover items installed with a proper surge protector.
Even with the cover, the amount of coverage provided might not be enough to replace all damaged or broken equipment in the event of a surge.
In South Africa, we have become accustomed to “Load shedding” changing how we live our lives. When load shedding ends, and power is restored, there is a chance of an electrical surge as the Voltage stabilizes, which can damage your appliances and plugged-in electronics.
Of course you could unplug everything when the power goes off, and once load shedding ends, plug everything in again once power has stabilised – but who wants to do that? And what if the load shedding is while you are away from home – or sleeping?
Many insurance companies require some protection from power surges to be installed for them to cover your electrical and electronics goods.
In some cases, insurance only pays up to R5 000 worth of equipment, which doesn’t go very far in replacing your household electrical goods. In other cases, the equipment may be covered, but only under “accidental damages” cover, and there might be exclusions, depending on your insurance provider.
Contact your insurance broker with questions about their surge protection cover so that you can have peace of mind. If your household insurance provider doesn’t cover damage caused by a power surge, you should look around for other options.