Is there light at the end of the tunnel for South Africa? Maybe, if our electricity supplier manages to finally be the leading light for our country by meeting our power demands. Currently, we’re kept in the dark with load shedding due to super high demand (load) for electricity, which obviously can’t be handled by our current power system.

 

Load shedding has left us frustrated, red-faced and worried about the consequence of spoiled food, possible fires, crime, and damaged devices. Eskom’s load shedding poses a number of risks at home.

According to the insurance quote provider, Hippo.co.za, there is an increase in claims due to load shedding.  "Claims are typically for things like the deterioration of food; the spoiling of refrigerated stock in trade; and damage to appliances or sensitive equipment due to a sudden power surge," says an insurance expert, Christelle Colman. She advised policyholders to check their documents carefully to see what exactly they’re covered for.

 

Hippo.co.za spokesperson, Sharney Nel also advises clients to check the terms and conditions of their policies.

 

Below dotsure.co.za provides 7 load shedding insurance tips:

 

#1 Check whether your home contents insurance also includes the contents of your fridge. Make sure that you know what the cover limits are.

*dotsure.co.za’s optional household insurance cover has a cover limit of R5,000 on deep freeze and fridge contents.

Tip:  Keep your grocery receipts for cases where food goes off as a result of prolonged outages.

 

#2 See what your insurance states in terms of damage to appliances and speak to a consultant about any additional cover you may need. Make sure that you know exactly what you’re covered for.

 

#3 Invest in affordable power surge plugs and protectors to minimize the risk of damaged appliances.

WARNING: You have to pay an excess of R2,000 with dotsure.co.za if you don’t install surge protectors. It's a big price to pay in comparison to  spending only R200 on surge protectors. 

 

#4 Unplug appliances or electronic devices that may be vulnerable to power surges. This includes mobiles, computers, servers, and LCD screens, all of which could be badly damaged when the power comes back on due to a spike in electricity flow. The blue screen of death is no joke!

 

#5  Beware your generator: It is critical that generators are never used inside a home or enclosed workplace area as the emissions can cause asphyxiation, which can lead to serious health issues. The heat from the generator can also cause fire damage, which would not be covered as this would likely be seen as negligence.

 

#6 Make sure that you've looked at security, alarm systems, gates and all the things that impact your premium payment. Install reserve power: To ensure that electric fencing and gates still work during load shedding, reserve batteries should be installed and maintained.

 

7# Make sure that you are covered at new replacement value, not all insurance providers offer this.

*dotsure.co.za reimburses at replacement value.

 

What’s covered under dotsure.co.za household insurance?

 

Our home contents insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing all household goods and personal possessions with current new replacement items or value, in the event of an insured peril that leads to loss or damage.

 

What is covered (core cover) 

 

 

  • Fire, lightning, explosion, underground fire and earthquake.
  • Storm, wind, hail, snow, and flood.
  • Water or oil escaping from any household appliances like geysers, washing machines, dishwashers, fixed water or heating systems.
  • Falling branches or trees.
  • Theft or attempted theft.

 

Additional cover (Included as standard)

 

You can add additional cover to your Home Contents insurance to protect you against load shedding damages. The Additional cover option will be added to your monthly premium by loading of 20% of the premium with a cover limit of R25,000.

 

  • Theft of money
  • Property of guests
  • Washing on the line and goods in the open
  • Loss of documents
  • Household goods in transit
  • Deep freeze and fridge contents (R5,000 cover limit)
  • Electronic equipment
  • Accidental death
  • Property of domestic employees
  • Temporary removal of your property
  • Power surge

 

If you’re not covered with dotsure.co.za home contents insurance yet, you are living a risky life. Sure, you’ve got to risk it to get the biscuit sometimes, but not when it comes to the protection of your family home. Don’t allow load shedding to steal your home’s shine, complete this form and we'll give you a call back in no time!