Does Your Home Insurance Cover Your HVAC Unit?

If you haven’t checked your home insurance lately, it might be a good time to review it to verify that it covers your HVAC system. Most likely, the policy that the lender requires will cover it for some types of damage.

Knowing how you’re covered will help you make financial plans in the event of an HVAC system failure. The coverage you have for your home and its contents will cover accidents, structural fires, storm damage, or theft.

If a vehicle plows into your home or yard and damages the HVAC system, odds are that your homeowner’s insurance will cover the repair or replacement. Fires will be covered, as well as storm damage from rain, hail, or wind. If someone steals your condenser’s copper wiring and coils, the insurance will cover the loss or system replacement.

What’s Not Covered

Home insurance policies won’t cover repairs or replacements that are the result of ordinary use. The average HVAC system lasts from 10 to 15 years, so as yours ages, it’s a good idea to set aside money in the budget for its replacement. You can also extend the life of the system by performing routine air filter changes and having a professional tune it up annually.

Some homeowners take out major appliance policies that typically cover the HVAC system. These types of policies are definitely “buyer beware,” since some only pay for repairs and have a high deductible.

The home warranty/insurance policies that often go along with buying a home provide one year of repair for major appliances, including the heating and air conditioning system. The seller or real estate agent pays for these policies and many homebuyers look at them as insurance policies in the event of an appliance failure. Regardless of the policy, it’s always best to have an HVAC pro look over the condition of the system before purchasing a home.

In most cases, your home insurance policy will cover the accidental or catastrophic events that take your HVAC system offline. To learn more about protecting your system, contact CCAC, Inc., providing HVAC services for Coastal Bend homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.