The solar power conversation to have with your clients

Brokers don't need technical expertise in solar power systems to have a useful conversation about it. What matters is asking whether a client has installed or is planning to install a solar power system, making sure that information reaches the insurer, and confirming the client has documents to support compliant solar power installation.

Generally, most of the risks in a solar power system installation trace back to decisions made before and after installation day, not to the solar panels themselves. A few direct questions at renewal can surface gaps early and help ensure the client has the right cover in place.

Why is solar power important in client conversations?

Solar power sits in a different mental bucket to insurance. That's not because clients are careless. It's because nobody asked.

This is becoming a bigger part of renewal conversations across both solar panels and house insurance and commercial solar power risk, so it can be worth building the question into every review rather than waiting for a client to raise it.

Has the client told their insurer?

This might be the single most useful question a broker can ask. It applies just as much to a solar battery added later, or a solar power system upgrade as it does to a brand-new install. Solar power can be a material change to the risk on a property, and the insurer needs to know about it to make sure cover reflects what's actually there.

We're not saying that skipping this step automatically voids cover. But an undisclosed solar power system may complicate things at claim time, and it's usually a conversation far better had now than during a loss adjustment. If a client has recently added solar power, or is planning to, that's the moment to update the file and loop in the insurer.

Who designed, installed and inspected the solar power system?

These can be three entirely different parties: a designer, an installer and an inspector each carry different responsibilities. Checking the design, the installation and the solar power system itself is a job for an appropriate solar expert, not the broker.

You might want to start with asking your client whether the installer is registered with the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB). The EWRB register is public, so you or your client can check it directly rather than taking a business card at face value.  Whether the installer has experience with the client's specific roof type is a question for an appropriate solar power expert to advise on — tile, long-run steel and membrane roofs can all behave differently under a solar power array, and that experience matters more than it might seem.

What evidence of compliance does the client actually hold?

The documents matter, and they're not all the same things. A proper installation should produce a Certificate of Compliance, an Electrical Safety Certificate and a Record of Inspection, and each one shows something different about the work that was done.

Here's the one worth saying plainly: an invoice is not a certifying document. It might be easy for a client to assume paying for the work is proof the work meets standard, but a receipt doesn't necessarily tell you anything about compliance. If a client can only produce an invoice, that's a gap worth closing before renewal, not after a claim. Our Vero Risk Profiler provides an overview of some of the documents to ask for and what each one should show.

Has anyone confirmed the roof can take it?

A solar panel array can add load and change how wind moves across a roof. An appropriate solar power expert can check the system has been designed and completed in line with applicable safety, regulatory and local approval requirements.

This is the point brokers are most likely to assume the other way: a property valuation doesn't usually cover structural suitability for a solar power installation. Valuations are about market value, not load-bearing capacity. It may be worth raising with the client that an appropriate expert confirms the roof can carry the solar power system. 

Where are the solar batteries and inverters located?

Location, ventilation and access for inspection can all affect risk, and a client should be able to tell you where their solar power system's key components sit. Batteries installed in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces close to combustible materials can carry a different risk profile to one installed to with proper clearance and airflow. An appropriate solar expert can check applicable safety, regulatory and local approval requirements have been met.

Ask whether the client knows where the isolation switches are and who to call if something goes wrong. It's a simple question, but it might tell you something about whether the installation was handled properly end to end. This is also where solar batteries and house insurance conversations can become more detailed, since battery risk sits apart from panel risk. Knowing where to find these isolation points may help emergency response and ensure that the risk is known. Having a diagram located next to the fire alarm panel is generally seen as a good idea.

Who owns what?

Many commercial solar power installations may involve third-party ownership or leasing arrangements, where a solar power provider owns and maintains the array, while the business hosts it on their roof. These arrangements can change who is responsible for insuring the equipment itself. If a third party owns the array, make sure they hold adequate liability insurance and have a documented maintenance programme in place.

Clarify ownership early: is the array covered under the building owner's policy, the solar power provider's policy, or does it require its own cover? Getting this wrong can leave a gap neither party expects to find at claim time. Our Risk Profiler on Solar Power Systems provides similar ownership questions in a residential context.

When should you suggest a qualified solar specialist?

Brokers aren't responsible for assessing technical side of a solar power system for their clients, and the answers above may raise questions that only an expert can settle: an installer whose EWRB registration hasn't been confirmed, documentation that's incomplete or missing, a solar panel array on an unusual roof type, or an ownership structure that's unclear. Any one of these is a good reason to suggest your client gets independent advice from an appropriately qualified solar power expert, such as a registered electrical inspector, a structural engineer or an experienced solar power installer, who can check the design, the installation and the system itself.

The Vero Risk Profiler gives you a framework you may use before you even pick up the phone with your client. This applies just as much to a homeowner's rooftop system as it does to a larger commercial installation covered under business insurance.

Five questions to take into your next renewal

1. Has the client told us about solar panels or a battery, new or existing?
2. Is the installer Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB)-registered, and can that be checked on the public register?
3. Does the client hold a Certificate of Compliance, Electrical Safety Certificate and Record of Inspection — not just an invoice?
4. Has an appropriate expert confirmed the roof's weight and wind loading separately from any property valuation?
5. If the system is leased or third-party owned, does the client have a copy of that contract?

Additional information to share with your clients:

• For homeowners
• For businesses

Frequently Asked Questions