South Africans are feeling the impact of continued load shedding and it extends far further than inconvenience and delays. It hits them, and South African insurers right in the wallet.
According to insurer, Dialdirect, there has been an 80% increase in power surge claims in 2022/2023 when compared to the 3 years prior. This coincides with a 970% GWH (gigawatt hours) increase in load shedding for the same period.
Most South Africans are still in the dark about whether they’ll be covered for damages caused by power surges.
According to Anneli Retief, Head of Dialdirect Insurance: “While grid failure was never stipulated as an insured event and has never featured in policy terms and conditions, load-shedding related power surge damage is still a grey area. Some insurers have capped power surge payouts, some say ‘we’ve got you covered, but at a higher cost’ and some will cover some power surge-related damage but not all. It’s confusing.”
Dialdirect says that the electricity crisis is beyond consumers’ control, and they shouldn’t be penalised for it and has launched a combo deal specifically designed to protect South Africans from power surge-related damage and solar system crime which is an emerging trend.
South Africans can also do their bit to minimise the risk of damage during a power surge, which occurs when the flow of electricity is interrupted and then starts up again, sending electricity back into the system. Power surges can cause instant damage to electrical appliances by melting plastic or metal parts and burning circuits.
Retief provides these helpful power surge prevention tips.
- Be prepared -
- Plugged in
- Switch off -
- Consider fire risks
- Recharge
- Safety first
- Security backup
- Stay online
- Data protection
- Dedicated circuits
- Update
“The golden rule is to proactively think about all the ways in which things can go wrong and plan thoroughly,” Retief concludes. “It’s also vital to have insurance in place, should catastrophe strike during power outages or as a result of surges,” she concluded.
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