Here’s the question I get all the time. Does it pay to install new hurricane shutters or impact rated windows?
First, the market WILL pay a premium for a home with impact windows but this is about 60% of what you will spend to install them. Is it worth 60% of X for you to have the convenience of impact rated windows?
But I’ll save on my insurance. I hear this all the time. Perhaps and perhaps not. IF your home was built according to the 2001 (or later) Florida Building Code (FBC) then you already receive the maximum wind mitigation discount which is about 85% of the unadjusted premium. Changing out perfectly good shutters for impact rated windows will NOT save you any money. That’s because the building code, and your insurance company, see impact rated windows and storm shutters as the same building code required impact resistance under the post 2001 FBC.
What if you live in a home built prior to 2002? First, read this article on how to calculate the savings of wind mitigation upgrades. For homes built before the 2001 FBC then one can apply for various wind mitigation discounts for, amongst other items, Class A or Class B hurricane protection. The FBC classifies Dade & Broward counties as being in the ‘High Velocity Hurricane Zone’ (HVHZ) and construction in these counties is to a higher level of protection. HVHZ approved panels are what are commonly referred to as Miami-Dade County approved protection. If a property is located OUTSIDE of the HVHZ then one need only install FBC approved hurricane panels BUT Citizens will give a steeper discount for the HVHZ or Class A hurricane protection even though the building code does not require it there. So, in pricing out hurricane panels or impact rated windows look at:
- Do I already get this hurricane mitigation discount?
- Do I need to change out one window/door? Is it that I simply do not have a proper garage door or am I missing panels over a single opening someplace? Can I fix a small issue?
- If I need a full set of shutters (as I did) then what’s the cost of the Class A (HVHZ or Miami-Dade) Vs. Class B shutters/windows and what are my annual savings for one Vs. the other. I did the math and I chose to install a Class A steel hurricane panel protection system. My garage door was already code compliant.
- The same math as above will apply for “impact windows” which are “Miami-Dade” approved or Class A impact rated windows or may simply “FBC” impact rated windows. Note BTW that the slang nomenclature here is misleading as ALL windows, doors and shutters installed in Florida under a building permit are FBC approved.
- The pros and cons are endless and debatable when discussing hurricane panels Vs impact windows. I try to let the math make my decisions but I will say this. When the wind starts blowing sand around, the impact windows will get scratched and this cost big $$ to have the polished or replaced. If they take an impact then they may not breech but they still crack to the point that the glazing needs to be replaced, which again is expensive. Shutters are “tougher”. If they take a hit then they typically can still be used. Ultimately, impact rated windows area a luxury item. A chevy may get you back and forth to work but the Benz does it in style. Steel hurricane panels do the same job as impact rated windows at about 10% of the cost.
