Unseen damage after the storm, and thus the lower efficiency of your solar panels, is often not covered, according to research from comparison sites Poliswijzer.nl and Gaslicht.com.
Two of all insurers also cover consequential damages, says Jorn Alders, head of research at Poliswijzer.nl, after comparing nearly forty providers, based on data provided by Moneyview.
“The storm can seriously damage your solar panels on your roof, but standard home insurance only covers solar panels that have been installed nailed down. So those are fixed on your roof,” he says.
Not covered
Based on this comparison and the damage history, the amount insured for solar panels is almost always sufficient.
The comparison shows that only with insurer De Goudse the standard coverage of a maximum of €5,000 may not be sufficient if the solar panels had a higher purchase value.
“Standard coverage with other home insurance is more than enough. They offer cover for solar panels from an insured amount of at least €450,000,” says Alders.
But if the solar panels are not fixed to the house, they may not be insured against, for example, damage from storms and theft, he warns.
lost income
Some damages are indirect. If damage occurs to the solar panels, chances are there will be less or no power output until the damage is repaired. “With many home insurance companies, this financial loss is at the expense of the insured,” says the researcher. Only Aegon and OHRA offer compensation for this, i.e. for lost income.
At Aegon, actual damage, i.e. including loss of fuel efficiency, is compensated. At Ohra, compensation is made up to 26 weeks after the occurrence of the damage.
Invisible damage to solar panels, such as cracks caused by storms or hail, are not covered by more than half of home insurance policies, according to the researchers. This leads to reduced yield.
“Buildings insurance does not offer standard coverage for every type of solar panel, and uninsured damage nullifies all solar panel benefits at the same time,” says Ben Woldring of Poliswijzer.
