Aviva and Howden partner to insure innovative solar subscription service start-up

Aviva and Howden have teamed up to provide bespoke insurance to an innovative start-up, which offers homeowners solar panels on a subscription service. The insurer and broker worked together with Sunsave to create a bespoke construction and operation cover policy for the solar energy subscription service, which provides solar batteries and panels using a regular payment plan.

The policy for Sunsave, the UK's first solar subscription, went live in February, with the first solar panel installation now completed. The bespoke insurance policy is designed to accommodate the unique nature of Sunsave's business, with customer subscription fees covered in the event of solar panel damage. In addition, to accommodate the expected take-up, Aviva agreed to streamline the process around new installations.

This move links to the goals of both Aviva and Howden, which are both keen to support the UK's transition to green and renewable energy through insurance, risk management solutions and advice.

Aviva is continuing to work with customers on climate actions and to provide insurance and risk management solutions to those firms that are actively taking steps to move away from high carbon fuels. In 2019, Aviva launched an integrated package of insurance designed specifically to support large companies in the complex market of renewable energy, including onshore windfarms, solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage. Aviva's renewable energy portfolio is now more than 400% of the size of the fossil fuel power generation book it exited in 2019.

Howden's Power & Renewable Energy team manages the insurances of over 280 gigawatts of power assets worldwide and has more than 100 gigawatts of renewable energy projects under management. This portfolio is spread across onshore and offshore wind, solar photovoltaic (PV) / concentrated solar power (CSP), battery energy storage, biomass, geothermal and hydropower, helping clients develop projects and managing a rapidly growing portfolio spread across the globe.

Nick Evans, Deputy Head of Renewable Energy at Aviva, said: "As a leading insurer, we regularly see the impacts of climate change on our customers and communities, for example, through weather events such as flooding or subsidence. By taking steps now to minimise our environmental impacts, collectively we can get ready for the future.

"We all have an important role to play in supporting the transition to Net Zero and bespoke policies like this can help to encourage environmentally friendly ideas to become reality. By working closely with both Sunsave and Howden, we're supporting the accessibility and affordability of renewable electricity for households. I'm really pleased that Aviva continues to play a leading role in the renewables space and I look forward to seeing the impact of this and future partnerships."

Deborah Duss, Global Head of Renewable Energy, Howden, said: "Howden is proud to have partnered with Aviva to deliver an effective insurance product that gives Sunsave insurance customers peace of mind in the event the solar and battery systems are damaged. Insurance has a crucial role to play in enabling the energy transition to be successful, and we will continue to work with clients and markets globally to innovate and support growth in the renewable energy sector."

Ben Graves, Co-Founder at Sunsave, added: "We are delighted to have worked with Aviva and Howden to put in place an innovative insurance cover enabling us to launch the UK's first solar subscription service. This cover provides peace of mind for our customers and marks another important milestone in bringing the power of solar to all households across the UK."

More information on Aviva's renewable energy insurance is available here: Renewable energy insurance - Aviva

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About Howden

Howden is a leading global insurance intermediary group with employee ownership at its heart. Founded in 1994, it operates in 50 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, employing 16,000 people and handling $38bn of premium on behalf of clients. For more information, please visit www.howdengroupholdings.com.