Hi, I’m Heidi Kussurelis with the Heidi Kussurelis Insurance Agency, and a great Google question came in this week asking: “Is my air conditioning covered due to a breakdown?”And the answer is, it depends. But it’s a great question because we rely on so many systems in our homes. For example, our furnace, our washer, our dryer, our dishwasher, refrigerator, pumps for our spa Whirlpool, our entertainment systems.
So this question is much wider than just about an air conditioning unit. But the first thing we have to think about is sudden and accidental. It’s a very important term. Most insurance claims to be covered have to be sudden and accidental. So if your air conditioning just stops working because it’s old and it’s met its life capacity or expectancy, that would not be covered. It’s just wear and tear. However, if it’s raining and a lightning bolt hits your house and a power surge takes out the air conditioning unit, that would be covered under a typical homeowner’s policy.
However, if a coil just breaks inside the air conditioning unit, that would typically not be covered under a normal homeowner’s policy without having an endorsement added called breakdown. Breakdown gives you broader coverage. And that would be for sudden and accidental mechanical and electrical breakdown. Not only does it cover forthe repairs, but it does also pay additional costs, expediting costs. So if you need to get repairs done in the middle of the night, on weekends, or holidays, and the cost is more, there would be some additional coverage, as well as loss of use coverage if you were unable to stay in your home and had to stay off premises for awhile. And then think about it.
We may have warranties on our furnace or on our pieces of equipment, but doesn’t it always seem like the damage occurs right when the warranty expires? So definitely talk to your agent about this great coverage, this endorsement called breakdown. And thank you for insuring with the Heidi Kussurelis Agency and keep those Google questions coming.
Call Heidi Kussurelis Insurance in Ann Arbor MI at (734) 213-6736
