Heat pumps are scarce and therefore expensive. An air heat pump currently costs up to 15,000 euros. At the same time, more and more of the expensive systems are in German front gardens and are often only connected to the house with a hose and cable. Criminals, who are increasingly disconnecting the pumps from the pipes and loading them onto vans, also appreciate this. And as if a theft alone wasn’t enough of a shock, the next nasty surprise awaits those affected: Many residential building insurance policies do not cover such thefts – or only under very specific conditions.
Policyholders should therefore know in advance how to properly insure their pump. “Anyone who has residential building insurance should therefore first report the purchase of the pump to them,” says insurance broker Olaf Misch. Because whether insured persons have to report the system as an increase in value depends on the provider. “The contribution is calculated according to the value of the house, and heat pumps increase this value,” explains Misch. “You may pay a little more, but if you don’t register the pump later, you risk being underinsured and ending up without protection altogether.”
Even better: Insured persons who want to buy a heat pump should ask when reporting whether the outdoor unit of the heat pump itself is also insured. And then the insured should also check their policy very carefully. An example: the basic residential building insurance from Allianz for around 42 euros a month includes heat pumps, but does not cover willful destruction, which includes theft.
Policyholders who want to insure this need the additional “Comfort” or “Premium” protection, which then also costs more. The Comfort tariff includes thefts of up to 25,000 euros and costs around 66 euros a month in this example calculation for a 120 square meter house. “Many providers are only just reacting to the new risk situation, which is often still in its infancy,” says insurance broker Olaf Misch. For example, Alte Leipziger has been protecting heat pumps against various types of damage in its building protection insurance since July of this year. In the event of theft, however, only the more expensive “Comfort” variant is available here. In this, the pumps are insured against theft for up to 30,000 euros.
However, many policies do not explicitly mention heat pumps. The R
But what if your own insurance does not (yet) offer protection for heat pumps? Consumers can then either switch providers or protect the system with electronics insurance. Depending on the provider, the independent additional policy not only protects against theft, but also against design errors, vandalism or if animals nibble on the hoses. This is usually much cheaper if the insured person has the heat pump serviced regularly. “With the insurer we work with, the annual premium for systems up to 30 kW with a maintenance contract including tax is EUR 89.25 a year,” says Misch. “Plants without a maintenance contract cost twice as much.”
Requirements: What is considered theft? Even policyholders who make sure their policy covers theft can end up empty-handed. Because some providers, such as Allianz, HUK or Alte Leipziger, require that the heat pump is permanently connected to the property. “It’s not enough to simply place the pump in the garden and connect it to the internal building technology,” Misch warns. “No fixed anchoring means no reimbursement in the event of damage,” he emphasizes. That is problematic, because it is a matter of interpretation what exactly is meant by “firmly anchored”.
To be on the safe side, insured persons should therefore screw the pump firmly either to the wall of the house or to the foundation. Misch has a tip for this: Many heat pumps are based on so-called Bigfoots, which absorb noise. According to the expert Misch, they alone are not considered a permanent connection. “You can put concrete curbs under the Bigfoots and bolt them to it,” he advises. It’s cheaper than a full foundation, and nobody can just lift the heat pump and take it with them.
