Home battery insurance: when are you covered?

In the Netherlands, a home battery is usually insured through your home insurance, but not automatically and not under all circumstances. Whether you're covered depends on how the battery is connected, where it's located and whether you've reported it to your insurer. In this blog you'll read how home batteries and insurance are connected and what you need to arrange yourself.

Is a home battery automatically insured?

A home battery isn't automatically insured, even though you usually don't need separate insurance for it. In August 2026, the Dutch Association of Insurers warned that coverage and terms vary from insurer to insurer and that most insurers want you to report the installation.

If you're shopping around for a home battery, check your policy terms before you buy. There's no standard arrangement for insuring a home battery.

Research by Slimster among 19 major home insurers (March 2026) showed that one in three doesn't mention home batteries at all in the policy terms. So if your policy says nothing about it, that doesn't tell you much: ask your insurer directly how your battery is covered.

Which insurance covers a home battery?

A home battery falls under buildings insurance or home contents insurance, depending on how it is attached. Insurers look at one question: is the battery fixed to your home or can you move it? The type of battery and your living situation together determine which policy applies.

When does a fixed home battery fall under buildings insurance?

A fixed home battery falls under buildings insurance when it is permanently attached to your owner-occupied home. Think of a battery mounted on the wall and connected with fixed wiring to its own group in the meter cupboard.

Insurers consider such a system part of the home itself, just like solar panels or a heat pump. For a fixed connection, installation by a certified installer is the starting point.

When does a plug-in battery fall under home contents insurance?

A plug-in battery usually falls under your home contents insurance, because you plug it into the socket yourself and can move it around. The Consumers' Association and the Dutch Association of Insurers take the same line: a loose or movable battery counts as contents.

Within home contents insurance, coverage for permanent installations is actually more limited at some insurers than under a buildings policy. If you opt for a home battery with a plug, check whether your contents insurance mentions such a device and up to what amount.

How do you insure a home battery in a rental home?

You insure a home battery in a rental home via the tenant's interest of your contents insurance. The landlord takes out the buildings insurance, but that doesn't cover improvements you've paid for yourself.

For the tenant's interest there's often a maximum insured amount, so after your purchase check whether that amount is still high enough. If you live in an owner-occupied apartment, the same principle applies via the owner's interest: don't assume the homeowners' association policy covers your private battery.

Do you need to report a home battery to your insurance?

Yes, report your home battery to your insurance, even if your policy doesn't explicitly require it. With a battery you add value to your home or contents, and by reporting it you avoid becoming underinsured.

The Consumentenbond recommends this for every fixed home battery and also for an expensive plug-in battery. With some insurers, reporting is even a condition: AnsvarIdéa only insures the battery if it's listed on the policy.

This notification is separate from the registration with your grid operator. Reporting to the insurer is about your coverage in case of damage, not about your connection to the power grid.

How do you report a home battery to your insurer?

You report a home battery to your insurer via the app, the online customer portal or an email to your broker.

Mention the brand and type, the capacity in kWh, the location in or around your home and whether the battery is hardwired or works with a plug. Include the purchase invoice, and for a fixed installation also the installer's installation report.

Then ask the insurer for written confirmation that the battery falls under your coverage and whether the insured amount needs to be increased. In the event of damage, that confirmation is your strongest proof. Keep it together with the invoice and any certificates.

What requirements does an insurer set for a home battery?

An insurer sets requirements for a home battery regarding the installation, the certification and where it's placed. The exact terms vary per policy. Promovendum's home insurance gives a concrete picture of what insurers ask for:

• Capacity: the total storage stays below a maximum, 20 or 40 kWh at Promovendum, depending on your terms.
• Certification: the battery is approved by an independent, European-recognized testing body.
• Mounting: the battery is permanently mounted to the home or to an outbuilding at the same address.
• Installation: the connection follows the manufacturer's product specifications and the NEN 1010 installation standard.
• Location: according to the Dutch Association of Insurers, a garage, shed or storage room can affect your coverage.

These requirements are related to the fire risk. Insurers want to be sure that a battery is built and connected safely, because the consequences of a house fire are severe. If you want to know how big that risk is in practice, read more about the fire hazard of a home battery.

What damage does the insurance for your home battery cover?

The insurance for your home battery covers damage caused by external events, such as fire, storm, leakage, burglary and theft.

At Univé, for example, a home battery falls under the buildings insurance for fire, precipitation, storm, leakage, burglary and a collision. Univé pays out based on the current value: the value the battery still has at the time of the damage, not the purchase price.

Why isn't a short circuit in the home battery itself covered?

A short circuit in the home battery itself is not covered, because insurers see it as an inherent defect of the device. Research by Slimster showed that virtually every insurer excludes damage caused by an internal short circuit or a technical malfunction.

If that defect causes a fire, the insurer usually does cover the consequential damage to your home. A technical defect in the battery itself falls under the warranty on your home battery, not under your home insurance.

Who pays for fire damage to your neighbors caused by your home battery?

Fire damage to your neighbors caused by your home battery falls primarily under your personal liability insurance. Whether it pays out depends on the cause of the fire and the terms of your policy.

As the owner, you can under certain circumstances be held responsible for damage caused by a faulty installation. A demonstrably safe installation by a certified installer then strengthens your position.

When does fire insurance not pay out for a home battery?

Fire insurance won't pay out for a home battery if the damage falls under an exclusion in your policy. Fire insurance is another name for home insurance, and the exclusions are very similar from one insurer to the next. In these situations your payout is most at risk:

• Installation error: damage to the battery caused by an assembly or installation error is usually not insured, and Univé explicitly excludes this.
• Inherent defect: a short circuit or a technical defect in the battery itself falls outside the coverage.
• Wear and tear: normal wear and tear and overdue maintenance aren't covered by home insurance.
• No registration: with an insurer that requires registration, you run the risk that the battery isn't insured if you don't register it.

An exclusion for the battery doesn't mean all damage is uninsured. If an installation error causes a fire in your home, the insurer will often still cover the damage to the house.

However, some insurers reject the entire claim if installation is done by a non-certified installer, so read the exclusions regarding installation errors in your own terms and conditions.

Which insurance applies to TechPunt's home batteries?

With TechPunt's home batteries, the insurance depends on how you connect the system. Our range consists of systems from Zendure and Anker SOLIX, and a large part of these you simply plug into the wall socket yourself. A model like the Zendure SolarFlow 800 Pro works with a plug and is therefore covered by your contents insurance with most insurers.

If you want more power, some models let you opt for a fixed connection. The Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro delivers 800 watts as standard via the wall socket and goes up to 2,500 watts with a professional connection.

With the Anker SOLIX AC connection, you link a Solarbank to its own circuit in the meter cupboard via fixed wiring. You have an installer carry out this step, and after that your battery is more likely to be covered by building insurance.

Not sure which system suits your home and policy? Then take a look at our range of home batteries, keep your invoice after purchase and register your new battery with your insurer right away.