From lithium batteries to solar panels and living walls, a new wave of green-technology risks is changing how buildings catch fire — and how they're insured. Here's what's behind the headlines, and what it means for your cover.

If you own, manage or let a building, you'll know that risk usually hides in the ordinary: a lapsed electrical certificate, clutter near a fire exit, a flat roof no one has inspected in years. A recent set of figures puts numbers to that. Over twelve months across 2025, risk-management specialist RiskSTOP assessed 16,835 commercial properties in the UK and issued 27,238 improvement requirements — and 88% of them were completed, removing hazards before they could turn into claims.

But alongside those everyday basics, the same surveyors flagged a second list: the emerging risks they're increasingly being asked about. Almost all of them are products of the move to greener, more energy-efficient buildings. And almost all behave in ways that traditional fire and property protection was never designed to handle.

First, the unglamorous basics still cause most losses

It's tempting to assume the fundamentals are handled. The survey data says otherwise. The most commonly issued requirements are almost entirely the old reliables: electrical testing, safe storage of combustibles, hot-work permits, fire risk assessments, fire and intruder alarms, health-and-safety risk assessments, extinguisher provision and maintenance, general housekeeping, and sprinklers.

There isn't a single high-tech item on that list — and that's the point. These controls top the table year after year because they fail in the same predictable ways. They also matter enormously for your insurance: many of them appear as policy conditions, and a missing electrical certificate or a propped-open fire door can be exactly what an insurer points to when a claim is disputed.

The five emerging risks — and what they mean for you

What this means for your insurance

Step back and the watch-list and the basics aren't really different lists. The recurring fundamentals — competent contractors, certification, scheduled maintenance, good records — are exactly what decide whether a battery, a panel or a living roof behaves as designed. The green transition hasn't replaced the old discipline of looking after a building; it has raised the stakes on getting it right.

For owners, landlords and those managing blocks, that points to a few practical steps:

• Tell your insurer or broker about any solar, battery storage or EV charging — these can affect how a building is underwritten.
• Use certified installers and keep the paperwork; uncertified work is a common reason claims are challenged.
• Schedule and document maintenance for panels, batteries, green walls and roof drainage, not just the boiler and the wiring.
• Check your sum insured reflects the full rebuild cost, including added technology — underinsurance is one of the most common gaps.
• Review fire strategy whenever new technology is bolted onto an existing building.

Block, commercial and mixed-use buildings in particular are rarely a fit for a standard, one-size-fits-all policy — especially once renewable technology is involved. The right cover should reflect how the building is actually used, maintained and equipped today.

Sources & further reading: figures and guidance drawn from RiskSTOP's 2026 Risk Management Infographic (based on 16,835 UK commercial risks surveyed in 2025), QBE European Operations, AXA UK, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the House of Commons Library and RICS. This article is general information, not a personal recommendation or a statement of policy cover; always check your own policy wording and conditions.