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Solar panel insurance: is it worth it?
Here's what solar panel insurance is, why you need it, and the extent to which home insurance covers your panels.
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At a glance
đĄď¸ Solar panel insurance protects you from numerous mishaps
Solar panel insurance is cover that protects you from the financial blow of your system getting stolen, damaged, or destroyed in numerous specific ways.
If you successfully claim on solar panel insurance, youâll get a payout to help you to repair or replace your system.
đ Most home insurance policies cover solar panels â but not comprehensively
Most providers include solar panels in buildings insurance, treating them as part of the fabric of your home, just like the doors, floors, and walls.
However, these policies can be insufficiently comprehensive, unless you pay extra.
This means you can often attain a better level of cover if you get solar panel insurance separately.
đ The Sunsave Guarantee includes a free battery and inverter replacement
The Sunsave Guarantee is part of our 20-year solar subscription service, Sunsave Plus, which provides households with a solar & battery system for a fixed monthly fee, with no upfront cost.
Every Sunsave Plus system is fully insured against damage, fire, and theft for 20 years.
Youâll also receive 24/7 monitoring and maintenance support, so we can identify and troubleshoot any issues as they occur, and a free replacement battery and inverter when they decline below a certain performance level.
đ˝ We provide downtime protection, so youâre covered if your system stops working
Under the Sunsave Guarantee, youâll be reimbursed for any extended periods of downtime.
Most home insurance policies cover rooftop solar panels under buildings insurance, though this will only cover you for a limited number of potential events.
These wonât usually include wear and tear, accidental damage, or downtime cover.
đ You should always get solar panel insurance
You should definitely insure your solar panels.
Theyâre sturdy, resilient, and spend up to 40 years functioning to a high standard â but as with any product you own, things can still go wrong.
If youâre adequately covered, you wonât have to worry every time a storm rages outside, or panic if your system temporarily goes down.
When you get solar panels, you want to protect your investment.
The panels are resilient, but accidental or weather-related damage is always possible, especially since they last up to 40 years.
And your battery and inverterâs lifespans are about 10-12 years, so itâs best to get a policy that will replace them for free when they stop functioning properly.
Your home insurance will likely cover you against a limited number of faults and mishaps, but other policies â like the Sunsave Guarantee â are more comprehensive and come with 24/7 monitoring.
If you would like to see the savings you could get from a solar & battery system thatâs covered by the Sunsave Guarantee, just answer a few quick questions below and weâll provide an estimate.
What is solar panel insurance?
Solar panel insurance is cover that protects you from the financial blow of your system getting stolen, damaged, or destroyed in numerous specific ways.
If you successfully claim on solar panel insurance, youâll get a payout to help you to repair or replace your system.
Most providers include solar panels in buildings insurance, treating them as part of the fabric of your home, just like the doors, floors, and walls.
However, these policies can be insufficiently comprehensive, unless you pay extra.
This means you can often attain a better level of cover if you get solar panel insurance separately.
What does solar panel insurance typically cover?
Solar panel insurance will generally cover you against environmental damage such as storms, hail, lightning, subsidence, and impacts â like a tree falling.
Youâll also usually be protected against theft, fire, and vandalism.
This can vary widely though, so when youâre considering which policy to get, make sure you thoroughly check what they all cover.
Some policies, like the Sunsave Guarantee, also include downtime protection. This means you can get reimbursed if your panels underperform for an extended period of time.
Solar panel insurance doesnât usually come with a free replacement battery and inverter once they decline below a certain level, either â but the Sunsave Guarantee does.
Our cover, which is provided by Aviva, also includes 24/7 monitoring of your solar & battery system, remote troubleshooting, and in-person call-outs when necessary.
Weâll manage any warranty claims you want to make, too.
Will your home insurance cover your solar panels?
Most home insurance policies cover rooftop solar panels under buildings insurance, though this will only cover you for a limited number of potential events.
These wonât usually include wear and tear, accidental damage, or downtime cover.
This means that if your panels stop producing electricity for an extended period of time, you wonât be able to claim back this lost revenue.
Some insurance companies also wonât protect you against extreme weather like lightning â though they often hide this exclusion by simply saying they donât cover âacts of godâ.
If you have ground-mounted solar panels instead of roof-mounted ones, these aren't considered to be part of the fabric of your home, so youâll generally need a separate policy for them.
Do you need to tell your home insurance provider that you have solar?
At Sunsave, we strongly recommend that you tell your home insurance provider once you have solar panels, just like you would after any other significant modification to your property.
It may increase how much you pay for insurance, as solar panels raise the value of your home by 3%, typically.
But providers view them as part of the fabric of your home, so informing them is a must.
However, we know that your home insurance policy is not going to provide all the cover you need, which is why the Sunsave Guarantee includes insurance, downtime cover, and free replacement parts (more on that below).
Do solar panels actually need insuring?
You should definitely insure your solar panels.
Theyâre sturdy, resilient, and spend up to 40 years functioning to a high standard â but as with any product you own, things can still go wrong.
If youâre adequately covered, you wonât have to worry every time a storm rages outside, or panic if your system temporarily goes down.
Ideally, youâll be protected against all of these potential hazards:
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Fire
- Natural disasters
- Damage caused by storms, debris, branches, or birds
- Accidental damage (e.g. a stray cricket ball from the garden)
- Periodic downtime
Do solar panel warranties provide enough cover?
Unfortunately, solar panel warranties on their own donât provide nearly enough cover.
They will typically only allow you to claim on faults caused by the manufacturer or installer, such as a technical problem or a sharp, early decline in performance.
And they donât generally protect you against fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters, or accidental damage.
Workmanship and materials warranties are also insufficient, as they usually only last one or two years, and are again limited to a very specific set of faults.
Why the Sunsave Guarantee is better than home insurance
The Sunsave Guarantee is part of our 20-year solar subscription service, Sunsave Plus, which provides households with a solar & battery system for a fixed monthly fee, with no upfront cost.
Every Sunsave Plus system is fully insured against damage, fire, and theft for 20 years â and youâll be reimbursed for any extended periods of downtime.
Youâll also receive 24/7 monitoring and maintenance support, so we can identify and troubleshoot any issues as they occur, and a free replacement battery and inverter when they decline below a certain performance level.
These additions put the Sunsave Guarantee streets ahead of home insurance when it comes to protecting your investment.
Insurance provided by Aviva
The Sunsave Guarantee comes with insurance provided by Aviva, which covers you against theft, fire, and vandalism, as well as damage caused by birds, natural disasters, and weather events like storms, hail, and lightning.
Youâll also be protected against accidental damage, which isnât included in most home insurance policies.
So whatever hits your panels â whether itâs stray branches, a cricket ball, or a rock swept up in a hurricane â youâll be covered.
Downtime cover
If your solar panel system stops producing electricity, and we canât get it up and running again remotely, you wonât have to pay for the system until weâve fixed the issue.
Insurance should compensate you for extended downtime when itâs not your fault â and the Sunsave Guarantee does exactly that.
Wear & tear cover
Home insurance policies donât protect you against wear and tear to your solar & battery system.
The Sunsave Guarantee doesnât include normal wear and tear to your panels, but theyâre already covered by a 30-year performance warranty and 25-year product warranty with the manufacturer. Weâll also handle any warranty claims for you.
Solar panels will always slowly decline over time, but weâll track them 24/7 to ensure they generate electricity at the rate they should â and if they donât, weâll handle that too.
Whatâs more, our cover will provide you with a free replacement battery and inverter, which essentially functions as wear and tear cover on these crucial parts of your system.
Your home insurance premium wonât increase
If you ever need to make a claim on your home insurance policy, it could increase your premium, meaning you may be punished for an issue that wasnât your fault.
The Sunsave Guarantee doesnât do that. We wonât increase your fee if something goes wrong, so you can make claims without worrying about the consequences.
Easy to contact
If you spot anything amiss with your system or have any questions, weâre always just on the other end of the phone, and are ready to respond immediately.
And since we monitor your system 24/7, weâll see if anything goes wrong and start working on a solution straight away.
Some home insurance providers are hard to contact, and make it complicated to claim on your policy â but not us.
Summary
Most home insurance policies will cover your solar panel system immediately, but they may not provide as much protection as you need.
They wonât give you a free replacement battery and inverter when these parts inevitably decline, and they donât generally include accidental damage or downtime cover.
So if your panels stop generating electricity for an extended period, youâll simply lose the money you wouldâve saved.
Sunsave Plus can provide all of this cover and more â without increasing your premium if something goes wrong.
If youâre wondering how much a solar & battery system could save you on Sunsave Plus, answer a few questions below and weâll provide you with an estimate.
Solar panel insurance: FAQs
Do I need to add solar panels to my home insurance?
In most cases, your new rooftop solar panels will automatically be included in your home insurance.
Providers now view solar panels on your roof as part of the fabric of your property â like the walls, doors, and floors â but the same isnât true of ground-mounted panels.
In that case, youâll need an additional policy â and even if your panels are going on your roof, you should consider whether home insurance is sufficient.
The Sunsave Guarantee, which comes with our solar panel subscription, Sunsave Plus, will fully insure you against damage, fire, and theft for 20 years â and youâll be reimbursed for extended periods of downtime.
Weâll monitor your system 24/7, spot and troubleshoot any problems as they happen, and provide a free replacement battery and inverter when they decline below a certain level.
Is buying a house with solar panels a problem?
Buying a house with solar panels isnât a problem, as long as the homeowner also owns the panels.
In this case, you may have to deal with a little bit of bureaucracy to register the panels as yours with an export tariff supplier, but any inconvenience will be minimal.
You may end up paying a higher price for a solar home, but the energy bill savings, lower dependence on the grid, and carbon footprint reduction mean it's well worth it.
Will solar panels affect my mortgage?
As long as you own the solar panels, they wonât negatively affect your mortgage.
Youâll need to supply your lender with documentation that proves you own the system and that it was installed by a certified engineer.
If youâre buying a property with solar panels, make sure you get all the relevant files from the seller as soon as possible, to make the whole process go as smoothly as possible.
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Read full storyWritten byJosh Jackman
Josh has written about the rapid rise of home solar for the past five years. His data-driven work has been featured in United Nations and World Health Organisation documents, as well as publications including The Eco Experts, Financial Times, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Times, and The Sun. Josh has also been interviewed as a renewables expert on BBC Oneâs Rip-Off Britain, ITV1âs Tonight show, and BBC Radio 4 and 5.