Do we need to inform our insurance company?

[j2d]

Do we need to inform our insurance company about our solar PV on our roof?

Also, do we need to worry about these storms/winds damaging our panels?

J

[dimogga]

CoOp insurance actually mention solar in their standard cover.

[rondurrans]

I phoned my insurance company and they confirmed the panels were covered (kept a record of the date & time when called)

Bit confused by your second question "Also, do we need to worry about these storms/winds damaging our panels?" - do you have a mitigation plan? In other words would you attempt to take them off the roof if the forecast was too bad? Do you have another way of protecting them from the elements? I would guess not and therefore like most of us you will need to 'ride out' the storm!   

[vstar]

It's always best to tell them, and make a note of the time/date/person, just in case...
That said, as long as it's MCS certified and bolted to your house, it's a part of the house and therefore covered by your insurance according to most companies.

[tc847]

I rang our insurance company who concurred as previous reply that it's now part of the house.  The only question they asked was whether the combined value of house plus panels now exceeded the sum insured.  Fortunately I had plenty of headroom in the figure previously used so went ahead as was.  Kind of depends on how big your house is and how much percentage wise therefore that £10k may have lifted your total sum assured requirement.

[j2d]

Anyone insured with Halifax?  Are there policies the same?

John

[andrewindevon]

Well the latest (still negotiating) position from NFU is...

A long list of questions including some stupid ones (see the other insurance thread for details) extra £10 ish a year, plus a £1,500 excess in the event of a fire. So far it's been going on for almost 2 weeks and now it's blowing a gale out there.   

[greentangerine]

Anyone insured with Halifax?  Are there policies the same?

John

When I had my panels fitted nearly two years ago I called my insurer - Halifax - and was told they are covered by the standard building policy and there's no need to notify them. 

[derekmt]

Doing a self install with Solar Thermal....(120 x 58mm x 1800mm)
Whats the insurance song and dance for DIYer? oop wrong forum

[Ivan]

I just wanted to point out one con to beware of. Insurance companies, it seems, are allowed to con their customers, but if their customers try to con the insurance companies, they always end up in jail!

Insurance companies will say things like 'Given the recent rise[!] in house prices, you need to check that your insurance cover is sufficient'....and they might start suggesting that to anyone ringing up about PVs. Insurance should cover the cost of REBUILDING and not the 'value' of the house - which is something entirely different. A tiny property in the centre of London could be worth a fortune, but if it was burnt to the ground, it could actually still be quite cheap to rebuild.

[Drawmer]

I just wanted to point out one con to beware of. Insurance companies, it seems, are allowed to con their customers, but if their customers try to con the insurance companies, they always end up in jail!

Insurance companies will say things like 'Given the recent rise[!] in house prices, you need to check that your insurance cover is sufficient'....and they might start suggesting that to anyone ringing up about PVs. Insurance should cover the cost of REBUILDING and not the 'value' of the house - which is something entirely different. A tiny property in the centre of London could be worth a fortune, but if it was burnt to the ground, it could actually still be quite cheap to rebuild.

That's unfair Ivan. I work in insurance - I have never tried to con anyone.
Please don't slur a whole industry with such generalisations.

[clivejo]

Unfortunately, the insurance industry dont need to be slurred as they're public relations aren't known for being the best!

That's a very good point that Ivan makes, its the REBUILD value.

Some of the excuses insurance companies make are laughable.  The questions are so vague.  I was turned down for insurance because I answered yes to the question "Has any of your land or property flooded in the past 5 years?"  I live on a farm, and some of the land in the valley floods, how does that affect the house??  But if I answer No I'm lying!!   Another question is "How old is your house?"  I dont know when it was built, some parts are hundreds of years old!!  But that's enough for for them to say sorry and hang up!   

[Ivan]

I didn't mean to offend you Drawmer, but it is something that happens commonly. Assuming you' are selling house insurance to someone, would you - personally - ask the customer 'what is the value of your house' or 'what would be the cost of rebuilding your house'?  I suspect it is the former. In which case the client is paying over the odds for insurance - if the house was burnt to the ground, the insurance company would certainly not pay out the market value of the house! OK, maybe I used the word 'con' in a broad sense. I am sure the insurance companies keep within the law, but in terms of what the customer perceives they are paying for and what they are getting, I think it's a fair comment. And I am also sure that the insurance companies are well aware of this, but choose not to point it out to the customer.

Likewise, with car insurance, when filling forms, you are asked what the value of your car is. This has, a direct bearing on the cost of insurance. Most people would base the answer to this question on what they paid for the car. However, if your car is written off, you will be paid the lowest value possible (hypothetical auction prices?) - in many cases this would appear to be a theoretical value, and there have been no end of stories of people who are unable to buy an equivalent replacement car with the money paid out in an insurance claim - this isn't based on my own experiences, but on many articles in the press.

Incredulously, insurance companies even offer something called 'GAP Insurance' which is a separate policy to pay any shortfall if the insurance company fails to pay out enough to purchase an equivalent replacement vehicle (see ' Replacement GAP Insurance ' http://www.carinsuranceexplained.com/car-insurance-explained/car-gap-insurance.html) - even though the insurance ombudsman says they are not allowed to do this.