Load shedding and insurance – are you covered?
It is imperative that clients, check that their service provider provides certain insurance covers.
Eskom has declared a ‘power emergency’ and embarked on nationwide load shedding for the first time since 2008.
Power cuts are a reality so obviously security systems and electric fences will be going offline. The question on everybody’s lips is: if your house is burgled during a black-out, are you covered?
Warwick Scott-Rodger, spokesperson for Dialdirect said, “It is a condition in most insurance policies that a house alarm has to be activated at all times when the home is not occupied. So, if a house is burgled during a power cut, then, theoretically, the customer would not benefit from any burglary cover as the alarm would be rendered inoperative.”
It is imperative that clients, check that their service provider provides certain insurance covers for, for example, food that deteriorates in a fridge because of a power failure. In addition, if a fire is caused by a heater either malfunctioning or switching back on after a blackout, will you be insured, provided that the incident did not occur because of the reckless behaviour of the insured?
Scott-Rodger said another unfortunate consequence of power cuts is power surges, which can cause sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, TVs and DVD players to short-circuit.
“The installation of a power surge preventer may prevent or minimise the damage caused by a power surge but it’s not guaranteed. We therefore do not insist that our customers install a power surge preventer as in many instances, damage still may occur as the power surge may by-pass the protection device because so many of today’s devices are inter-linked,” Scott-Rodger said.
