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Business equipment breakdown insurance is designed to protect your business from unexpected expenses when critical equipment fails. This type of insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing equipment that's essential to your operations.
Equipment failure can happen at any time, causing significant downtime and financial losses. According to our research, the average business loses around 20% of its annual revenue due to equipment failure.
To mitigate this risk, business equipment breakdown insurance policies typically cover a wide range of equipment, including HVAC systems, generators, and electrical systems. This ensures that your business can continue to operate even in the event of a critical equipment failure.
By investing in business equipment breakdown insurance, you can safeguard your business against unexpected expenses and ensure that you can continue to serve your customers without interruption.
What Is Business Equipment Breakdown Insurance?
Business equipment breakdown insurance is a type of insurance that protects businesses from financial losses due to equipment failure or breakdown.
This insurance covers a wide range of business equipment, including computers, machinery, and appliances.
Equipment breakdowns can happen due to various reasons, including mechanical failure, electrical surges, and human error.
According to the article, equipment breakdowns can result in significant financial losses for businesses, with some losses reaching up to $100,000 or more.
Businesses can suffer from equipment breakdowns at any time, whether it's during regular business hours or outside of them.
Equipment breakdown insurance typically covers the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged equipment, as well as any associated business interruption costs.
Do You Need Business Equipment Breakdown Insurance?
As a business owner, you understand the importance of protecting your bar or restaurant from the unpredictable. Slips and falls happen; the weather can turn nasty, and equipment can break down.
Most modern businesses depend on at least some equipment, like computers and electrical systems, for day-to-day functioning, making equipment breakdown insurance a good idea for nearly any business.
It's a good idea to have equipment breakdown insurance to protect you beyond your commercial property insurance and equipment warranties.
Policies are available for businesses of all sizes and in any industry, so you can find a policy tailored to your needs.
What's Covered?
Business equipment breakdown insurance is designed to protect your business from the financial consequences of equipment failure. This type of insurance covers the cost to repair or replace damaged equipment, including the cost of spoiled foods or inventory.
Equipment breakdown coverage can also pay for the cost of temporary or permanent repairs, data restoration, and demolition, repair, and/or rebuild of the damaged equipment. This coverage is essential for businesses that rely on specialized equipment, such as boilers, pressure vessels, and vacuum equipment.
Here are some examples of equipment that are typically covered by business equipment breakdown insurance:
- Laptops, desktops, tablets, mobile devices, telephone systems, fire alarm systems, security systems, printers, scanners, fax machines, and external hard drives
- Boilers, vacuum pumps, steam cookers, hot water heaters, pressurized storage tanks, autoclaves, vacuum furnaces, and vacuum turbo emulsifiers
- Air conditioning and refrigeration systems
- Mechanical and production machinery, including pumps, gears, compressors, and manufacturing machinery
- Computers and communication equipment, including servers and telecommunication equipment
- Energy equipment, including solar panels, solar batteries, and wind turbines
- Diagnostic and treatment equipment, including MRI machines and X-ray machines
In addition to covering equipment damage, business equipment breakdown insurance can also provide coverage for business income losses due to equipment failure. This can be a significant benefit for businesses that rely on equipment to generate revenue.
Types of Equipment and Risks
Business equipment breakdown insurance can help protect your business from unexpected losses due to equipment failures. This type of insurance typically covers a range of equipment types, including boilers and pressure vessels, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment, refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and computers and electronic devices.
Here are some of the specific types of equipment that business equipment breakdown insurance can cover:
- Boilers and Pressure Vessels: These include fired vessels like boilers and unfired vessels like air tanks and hot water tanks.
- Mechanical Equipment: This encompasses production machinery such as presses and extruders, as well as rotating equipment like electric motors and generators.
- Electrical Equipment: This covers transformers, switchboards, cables, and other related electrical apparatus.
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning: This pertains to refrigerating systems, air conditioning units, and related piping.
- Computers and Electronic Devices: This involves electronic equipment like personal computers, telephone systems, x-ray machines, and photocopiers.
The types of equipment breakdowns that business equipment breakdown insurance can cover include explosions and cracking, burnouts and breakages, and operational failures.
Off-Site Risks
Off-Site Risks can be just as damaging as equipment breakdowns on your own premises. Equipment breakdowns at other locations can cause a loss to your business.
If you rely on a website for orders, an independent Internet service provider hosting your site at another location can be a single point of failure. What happens if that location loses power or experiences damage to its equipment, causing an interruption of your web presence resulting in a loss of orders?
Equipment breakdown coverage can help pay for lost business income when a key supplier's equipment breaks down. This type of coverage is essential for businesses that depend on external services.
A power surge at a data center can damage several servers, resulting in data loss and disruption of service. The data center would need to repair or replace the servers and potentially compensate clients for lost income during the downtime.
The cost of repairing or replacing servers can be significant, and the loss of business income can be substantial. The insurance would cover the cost of repairing or replacing the servers, and potentially compensate for lost income.
Commercial Building HVAC
A faulty HVAC system can cause uncomfortable conditions for tenants, potentially leading to rent reductions or temporary moves. This can be a costly and inconvenient experience for building owners.
The immediate costs of repairing or replacing the HVAC system are a significant concern for building owners. Equipment breakdown insurance can cover these costs.
Tenants might demand rent reductions or even decide to temporarily move if the HVAC system fails. This can result in a loss of rental income for the building owner.
Equipment breakdown insurance can cover the loss of rental income due to tenant disruptions. This can help building owners recover from unexpected financial losses.
Typical Failures
Typical failures can be devastating for any business or organization that relies on equipment to operate. Explosions and cracking can occur in boilers, pressure vessels, and piping due to overpressure or structural flaws.
Burnouts and breakages are also common, including electrical burnouts in motors and transformers, and mechanical breakages in gears and compressors.
Operational failures such as control failures in boilers or compressor failures in refrigeration systems can also happen, causing significant downtime and financial losses.
Here are some examples of typical failures that can occur:
- Explosions and cracking
- Burnouts and breakages
- Operational failures
These types of failures can be prevented or minimized with regular maintenance, proper safety protocols, and equipment inspections.
Purchasing and Policy
Adding equipment breakdown coverage to an insurance policy is a straightforward process. Most insurance companies treat it as an additional coverage area, or add-on, to commercial property insurance. This means you can easily purchase equipment breakdown coverage as an optional endorsement to your business owners' policy (BOP).
With Thimble, for example, equipment breakdown coverage is an optional add-on to their BOP. This package policy also includes coverage for lost business income, which is important in case your business has to shut down temporarily due to equipment failure. If your refrigerator breaks down, resulting in the spoilage of seafood, you may be covered for the repair, replacement, and lost income.
If you're looking to purchase equipment breakdown insurance, consider the potential costs of damage to your equipment, damage to others' property, unavailable replacement parts, and being closed for an extended time. Thimble's BOP includes multiple coverages, including general liability insurance, commercial property, and equipment breakdown coverage as an optional add-on.
Should I Buy If I Don't Own?
You might not think you need equipment breakdown insurance if you don't own the equipment, but it's still a good idea. Business equipment insurance may not be your responsibility, but you could still lose productivity, customers, and income if the equipment breaks down.
You might be renting equipment or using leased equipment, which means you're still vulnerable to breakdowns. Equipment breakdown insurance covers business income losses in situations like this.
If one of your vendors, like an internet service provider, experiences a service outage, you could still lose business income. Equipment breakdown insurance can help you recover from these kinds of losses.
You can't afford to lose productivity, customers, and income due to a breakdown, so it's worth considering equipment breakdown insurance, even if you don't own the equipment.
How Much to Buy?
When considering how much equipment breakdown insurance to buy, it's essential to think about the potential costs of equipment damage.
Damage to your equipment can be a significant expense, so it's crucial to factor that into your coverage needs.
Damage caused to others' property can also add up quickly, so make sure you have enough coverage to cover those costs.
Unavailable replacement parts can lead to extended downtime, which can be costly in terms of lost productivity and revenue.
Being closed for an extended time can have a major impact on your business, so consider the potential costs of that when deciding on your coverage amount.
Here's a breakdown of some of the key factors to consider:
- Damage to your equipment
- Damage caused to others' property
- Unavailable replacement parts
- Being closed for an extended time
How to Add to a Policy
Adding to a policy can be a straightforward process, especially with the right insurance provider. Most insurance companies treat equipment breakdown insurance as an additional coverage area, or add-on, to commercial property insurance.
For example, Thimble offers equipment breakdown coverage as an optional endorsement to their business owners' policy (BOP). This means you can add it to your policy easily.
If you have a BOP insurance with an equipment breakdown endorsement, you'll be covered for the equipment repair, replacing damaged equipment, and even lost business income due to a breakdown. This can be a lifesaver for small businesses that rely on their equipment to operate.
You can also add equipment breakdown coverage to your policy in just a few minutes with Thimble's app. Simply apply for a BOP, click "get a quote", and their team will guide you through the rest of the process.
Here's a quick rundown of the types of coverages you can add to a policy with Thimble:
- General liability insurance
- Commercial property
- Business property
- Equipment breakdown coverage (optional add-on)
With Thimble, you can get insured quickly and easily, and their team is always available to help you through the process.
When Kick In?
Equipment breakdown coverage kicks in to protect your business from unexpected equipment failures. This type of coverage is designed to cover a wide range of electrical and mechanical equipment, including air conditioners, generators, and furnaces.
The list of covered equipment is quite extensive, and it includes circuit breakers, refrigerators, production machinery, elevators, escalators, and compressors. It's worth noting that equipment breakdown coverage can also cover utility company-owned equipment, which may be located on your business premises and used to power the building.
In most cases, utility company-owned equipment is related to the utility equipment that powers the building with electricity.
Navigating Complexity: The E&S Market's Appeal
The E&S market offers a range of insurance options, including those underwritten by AXA XL insurance companies in the US, such as Catlin Insurance Company, Inc. and XL Insurance America, Inc.
These companies have a strong reputation for providing reliable coverage, with AXA XL being a leading global insurance company.
In Canada, coverages are underwritten by XL Specialty Insurance Company - Canadian Branch and AXA Insurance Company - Canadian branch, offering a similar level of expertise.
US domiciled insurance policies can be written by various AXA XL surplus lines insurers, including XL Catlin Insurance Company UK Limited and Indian Harbor Insurance Company.
It's essential to note that Enquires from US residents should be directed to a local insurance agent or broker permitted to write business in the relevant state.
Lloyd's ratings are independent of AXA XL, providing an added layer of security and trust for policyholders.
Coverages underwritten by Lloyd's Syndicate #2003 are placed on behalf of the member of Syndicate #2003 by Catlin Canada Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is equipment breakdown insurance?
Equipment breakdown insurance typically costs between $25 to $50 per year, with a coverage limit and deductible that can vary.
What is not covered by equipment breakdown coverage?
Equipment breakdown coverage does not cover normal wear and tear, or damage caused by neglect and poor maintenance. This type of damage is not included in the standard coverage
What is an example of equipment breakdown?
Equipment breakdown refers to the sudden and unexpected failure of a machine or system, such as a boiler or electrical panel, resulting in damage or loss. Examples include mechanical failures, power surges, and other unexpected events that cause equipment to malfunction.
Sources
- https://www.nationwide.com/business/insurance/equipment-breakdown/
- https://www.thimble.com/small-business-insurance/equipment-breakdown-coverage
- https://www.landesblosch.com/blog/equipment-breakdown-insurance-the-ultimate-guide
- https://axaxl.com/fast-fast-forward/articles/a-business-lifeline_equipment-breakdown-insurance-explained
- https://societyinsurance.com/blog/how-equipment-breakdown-coverage-can-protect-bars-restaurants-from-unexpected-costs/
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