You’re sitting at your office desk on a Friday afternoon, mentally checking through a list of things you need to do before you head out of town for the weekend. Your mobile phone buzzes – it’s an app notification.
You’re irked by the interruption, but you pick up your phone. At the same time, you notice a new email arriving. Checking the notification first, your Sensor Networks Smart Home app tells you that water has been detected in your geyser drip-tray back home (and this is confirmed by a quick glance at the accompanying email).
It’s any homeowner’s nightmare! Who knows what damage has already been caused by this leaking geyser? Immediately, your thoughts turn to the worst-case scenario: damaged ceilings, water marks down the walls, soaked carpets and warped cupboard shelves and doors. Not to mention the inevitable insurance claim and the hassles associated with that… Your weekend away is ruined before it has even begun!
Suddenly, your phone rings. It’s a Sensor Networks representative. They’re calling, firstly, to inform you about the water in your geyser drip-tray (in case you missed the app notification and email), and secondly, to confirm that your Sensor Networks Smart Geyser has automatically shut off the water valve for your geyser, preventing any more water from entering the system, completely stopping any further consequential damage.
As you process the events of the last few minutes, the representative asks when you will be available for a technician to come around to assess the damage to your geyser. Realising that a crisis has been averted, you decide to schedule an appointment for Monday morning – you’ll be away for the weekend anyway, so you might as well enjoy it, and deal with your geyser troubles at a more appropriate time.
While the scenario outlined above might seem like a convenient marketing fiction, it is really an accurate account from a current (and overwhelmingly satisfied) Sensor Networks customer. Cape Town resident Taryn McLeod has a Sensor Networks Smart Geyser installed as she has an active home-insurance policy with MUA Insurance. Ironically, Taryn works as an insurance risk advisor, so she deals with client geyser issues like this on a regular basis.
Taryn says Sensor Networks gave her peace of mind: “It was like clockwork! I was at work, the car was packed, and I was ready to head off for the weekend with my family. I got an app notification and an email immediately, and a phone call within minutes. I knew exactly what was going on in my own roof before anyone back home even realised what had happened.”
“My geyser sits in the roof above my bedroom, so my initial thoughts were about the potential damage to my laminate flooring and bedroom cupboards,” says Taryn. Luckily, Sensor Networks Smart Geyser detected the problem within moments of it happening, and prevented any consequential water damage. By midday on Monday, Taryn’s geyser had been properly assessed and all the necessary repairs done.
Sensor Networks works with insurance companies by using smart sensors that connect to a bespoke IoT platform that helps reduce risk, improve risk mitigation and enhance loss management for homeowners. Our current product range includes a smart geyser controller, smart home security system and smart fire alarm.
For more information, visit drop Sensor Networks a line via the Contact Us page, or speak to your insurer.
Taryn McLeod is an insurance risk advisor at Nedbank Insurance. She has given Sensor Networks permission to use her images and story in this use-case example of our technology and insurance tech solution.