Short-term Perspectives – January 2021
What an up-and-down year 2020 has been. We do hope that in spite of its craziness that this year has been a successful one.
We would like to thank you for entrusting Perspective Advisory with your Short Term Insurance. We are also looking forward to what new paths are to be walked as we head into 2021 with you as our valued client.
The end of the year is a time to reflect, take stock of the year past, and plan for the year ahead. When working hard, fast, and in challenging contexts, our brains tend to erase the positive as we focus on the loads and pressures at hand. We are extremely grateful to have survived 2020 not only in our business but also stayed healthy. There are reasons to be grateful and positive, our hope is that you do to and this can fuel you to greater heights in 2021.
We hope you enjoy this edition of our Short Term Insurance Newsletter.
Load Shedding and Power Surge
Load shedding is back in our lives, which means an increase in risk to homeowners. Whether you are worried about burglaries because your security system is down, or fear your electronic equipment might be damaged by power surges, the best plan of action is to prepare for all possible eventualities
Herewith are a few tips on how to protect your home from load shedding damages – without a generator or solar panels.
- Get back-up batteries for your alarm and gate system:
Ensure that your alarm system is in a working condition and the back-up battery is fully functional to provide power to the system in the event of load shedding.
Similarly, check that your garage door motor or electronic gate can function without power. - Be safety savvy with extra lighting:
Keep a torch or headlamp in your car if you arrive home at night during a power outage.
Most smartphones have built-in torches or torch apps which come in handy during unexpected power outages. - Always stay charged:
Ensure your cell phone, laptop and tablet devices are fully charged ahead of scheduled blackouts.
Be sure to charge them again as soon as possible after the power returns.
It is also a good idea to have an emergency phone charger close by. This comes in handy during extended power outages. - Know your emergency contacts:
Save emergency contact information on your phone but also keep a printed copy close by. This should include emergency services such as the fire department, police and medical services. - Gas for cooking and lighting:
Invest in a small gas bottle and lamp. It gives good quality lighting for a large area and can also be used for cooking and boiling water.
It is a good idea to keep hot water in a thermal flask so that you can make hot drinks.
Prepare meals beforehand if you know there is going to be a scheduled blackout. - Stock up on bottled water:
Keeping emergency water stored is easy when frozen. This frozen bottled water will help keep food cold during a power outage and will also not spoil. - Unplug your cables:
Consider any electrical connection as live during a power outage as power can return at any time. Unplug any electronic devices or equipment or switch it off at the wall, including telephone cables. This is due to the surges in power that may occur when electricity is restored. - Back up your data:
If you save important data on our home computer, consider backing it up over the internet in case of a hard drive crash or unforeseen electrical fault. Online cloud-based backups are very convenient and are mostly automated, which means that you have one less thing to worry about.
Planning for electric surges
Electric surges are one of the biggest causes of damage to equipment during a power outage. Installing a surge protection device can help minimise some damage in unforeseen situations.
Have a surge protection device fitted to your electrical distribution board or alternatively at the power outlet to the electronic device.
Please check your insurance schedule to ensure that your cover includes Power Surge. Depending on your Insurer, Power Surge may not always be automatically included.
You can also protect fixed machinery from power surges. By taking out additional power surge cover under your building insurance, this will provide peace of mind that fixed machinery – such as swimming pools, Jacuzzis, boreholes, sprinkler irrigation systems and electric gates – will be covered in the event of power surge damage.
