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Downhole heat exchanger insurance
Heating using geothermal energy is an environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient and low-cost form of power supply. Helvetia offers the possibility of protecting your investment in sustainable power generation against sudden and unforeseeable damages with a comprehensive insurance policy.
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Cover against unforeseeable and sudden damages
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Fully comprehensive insurance for your downhole heat exchanger
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Five years of worry-free protection for your investment at a guaranteed premium
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Option to extend the insurance following expiration
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A warm home even with the damage (replacement heater)
Further information
Good to know
What is a downhole heat exchanger?
A downhole heat exchanger is a closed pipe system that is installed in the ground via a borehole, which can be several hundred metres deep. The liquid circulating in the pipe system can be used to extract the heat, which is then used for heating. Emission-free, shallow geothermal heating is extremely environmentally friendly, thanks to renewable heat recovery.
Why choose downhole heat exchanger insurance?
If a claim arises for a downhole heat exchanger, it is usually a total loss. In addition to the actual damage, there may be considerable follow-up costs: Installing a new heat exchanger means that a new hole needs to be drilled, access routes opened up, a construction site set up and the surrounding area restored following drilling.
Helvetia offers the possibility of protecting your investment in sustainable energy generation against sudden and unforeseeable damages through comprehensive insurance. The cover is like a comprehensive insurance policy for the downhole heat exchanger.
Is a downhole heat exchanger more expensive than oil heating?
Building and installing a heating system that uses geothermal heat is more expensive than oil heating. However, the operating expenses are much lower, as no fuel (in this case heating oil) needs to be purchased. Whether or not oil prices are low does not make any major difference either. The SIA standard 384/6 also guarantees a “useful life of at least 50 years” (Art. 3.1.5).
Examples of damage
Three heat exchangers are crushed at a depth of around 190 meters. The damage was caused by a swellable layer of rock. The crushing of the exchangers has reduced the flow so much that too little thermal energy can be generated to heat the building. Since it isn’t possible to repair the heat exchangers, the existing ones must be removed and drilled again.
The costs of the expert advice, the additional costs to cover the heating outage and the drilling costs for new exchangers amount to around CHF 75,000.
Partner drilling company
The following partner drilling companies can offer you the Helvetia downhole heat exchanger insurance:
Broder AG, Sargans (SG)
www.broder.ch
LSS Bohr AG, Grosswangen (LU)
www.lssbohrag.ch
Terracalor Erdwärmetechnik AG, Muttenz (BL)
www.terracalor.ch
Green Terra AG, Bilten (GL)
www.green-terra.ch
Heim AG, Altstätten (SG)
www.hb-ag.ch
AEB Erdwärme AG, Selzach (SO)
www.aeb-erdwaerme.ch
Armin Bürge AG, Schwarzenbach (SG)
www.buergeag.ch
Energie 360° Erdwärme AG, Abtwil (SG)
www.erdwaerme-ag.ch
Spross Ga-La-Bau AG, Zürich (ZH)
www.spross.com
Blétry AG, Küttingen (AG)
www.bletryag.ch
Norline AG, Glattbrugg (ZH)
www.norline.ch
Bohrfix AG, Härkingen (SO)
www.bohrfix.ch
Grünenwald AG, Otelfingen (ZH)
www.gruenenwald-ag.ch
PBS Bohr AG, Rickenbach (LU)
www.pbs-bohr.ch
RS Forages Sàrl, Lucens (VD)
www.rs-forages.com
Vionnet SA (VD)
www.vionnetsa.com
Downhole heat exchanger - Do I need downhole heat exchanger insurance during the guarantee period provided by the drilling/heating company too?
It's sensible to have downhole heat exchanger insurance during the guarantee period too. This is for the following reasons:
- In practice, the culpability of the relevant company and/or the effective/definitive determination of the causes of damage is hard, or indeed impossible, to prove within a reasonable budget. With the high damage costs defective probes incur, this leads to lengthy discussions in case of a claim.
- According to SIA 118, the burden of proof after expiration of the second year of operation lies with the customer. Due to the difficulty of proving culpability, liability therefore lies de facto entirely with the customer. Since proof of culpability is virtually impossible when damage occurs to downhole heat exchangers, the Helvetia downhole heat exchanger insurance also pays benefits in the case of damages that occur within the statutory guarantee period provided by the drilling/heating company.
I have bought a house - Can I insure downhole heat exchangers that have already been in place for some time with Helvetia?
Naturally older downhole heat exchangers can also be insured with us without any difficulty.
Liability - Who is liable for any ground risks when drilling for downhole heat exchangers and how can I as the property owner protect myself accordingly?
According to CC/CO and SIA norms, the property owner is responsible for the so-called ground risks. However, you can insure yourself against these risks with Helvetia through your drilling company/Heiziger. Ask about the availability of corresponding insurance solution when getting a quote.