With World Environment Day we take a step back and consider our impact on planet earth. One of the ways we can do this is by controlling our pollution as well as our CO2 emissions.

In South Africa this type of thinking extends to our reliance on Eskom and trying to lessen the effect of load shedding. When thinking about solutions to overcome this problem we start to consider renewable energy sources such as solar installation in our homes and whilst we endorse this approach we also highly recommend that you consider the risks associated with them.

What to consider when installing solar in your homes:

1. Make sure any installation is done by an accredited professional supplier

2. Make sure a proper Certificate of Compliance (COC) is received at the end of the installation

3. Do an analysis to make sure the roof can sustain the weight of the geyser

4. Operate the system in accordance with the supplier’s instructions

5. Do not overload your system with more than it can handle

6. Understand how to prevent and extinguish any possible fires

7. Make sure the total value of the solar system installation is advised to your insurance broker to ensure it is sufficiently insured

Risks associated with solar installation:

• Roof collapses

• Fires caused by the wiring in the roof

• Overheating of batteries

• Overload of the invertor causing fires

Don’t let these risks alarm you, just follow the guidelines above and make sure you INSURE your system properly. GIB is no stranger to this redefined advise on solar installations and have various solutions to assist you:

1. Renewable Energy Insurance

2. Smart Geyser Insurance

3. Contact us to see how we can insure your home/domestic solar installation