German insurers hit by record lightning strikes
Insurance claims for lightning and surge damage suffered by German insurers rose to a record high in 2023. At €1,460, the average loss was higher than ever before, according to latest analysis from the German Insurance Association (GDV).
Claims payments from household contents and residential building insurance companies for lightning damage reached their highest level in 20 years last year. “The insurers paid a total of around €330m for 220,000 lightning and surge damages,” said Anja Käfer-Rohrbach, deputy general manager of GDV.
“Compared to 2022, the amount of damage increased by €80m and the number of damages increased by 50,000,” added Käfer-Rohrbach. At €1,460 per claim, the average claims also reached a record high since statistics began in 1988. In 2022, it was only slightly lower at €1,420.
“The reason for the high average loss is that the buildings and houses are increasingly technically better equipped,” said Käfer-Rohrbach.
Typical lightning damage includes destroyed roof surfaces and overvoltage damage, such as burnt sockets, defective computers or telephone systems, but also damage to building technology, such as the heating control or the heating system.
In total, around 195,000 lightning strikes were registered in Germany in 2023, according to information from the VdS Schadenverhütung, the GDV’s risk engineering subsidiary, and the OVE (Austrian Association for Electrical Engineering).
The risk of a lightning strike is greatest in August. During this month alone some 64,000 lightning strikes occurred. The fewest lightning strikes were counted in October, at 235.
“After a lightning strike, homeowners insurance covers damage to the roof, masonry or surge damage to permanently installed electrical installations such as heating controls. Clean-up work and securing the property are also covered. Household contents insurance pays for damage to movable property in the apartment or house. These include computers, televisions or other technical devices. With external and internal technical lightning and surge protection, damage can be largely prevented,” said the GDV.
