If you’re a homeowner in Florida, you may be wondering whether upgrading to impact windows is worth the hype. Well, we’ve got news for you: Not only is it worth it, but it offers a bounty of benefits.
Read on for a roundup of six reasons to make the switch to hurricane impact windows.
1. They’ll protect your home from extreme weather
When it comes to hurricanes, Florida leads the pack. In fact, of all the hurricanes that made landfall in the US between 1851 and 2020, 40 percent of them hit Florida.
Factor in flooding, severe storms, wildfires, and other weather disasters (along with heightened storm risk), and the potential for death and destruction is unthinkable.
Upgrading to impact windows is one of the best ways to protect your home and the people who live in it. Designed and tested to withstand high winds and object impacts, impact windows are much less likely to shatter—even when subject to direct blows.
And because they’re a permanent solution, the impact protection hurricane windows offer saves you the frantic rush to protect your home in the last precious moments when a storm is bearing down.
But this isn’t the only way impact windows protect your home from weather. The sun’s UV rays can also damage components of your home, such as window treatments, blinds, and carpets. Impact windows add a layer of UV protection that blocks these potent rays from entering your home.
2. You’ll save money
We’re all looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact—and to trim energy bills, too. Thanks to excellent insulation properties, impact windows help keep climate-controlled air inside your home. The result? Lower heating bills in the winter and cooling bills in the summer.
Hurricane impact windows also reduce the strain on your heating and cooling units thereby reducing wear and tear while extending their lifelines.
Another way impact windows help you trim costs? Many companies offer insurance discounts to homeowners for improvements like impact windows. Given the combination of Florida’s sky-high annual premiums and the preponderance of extreme weather, these savings can be significant.
According to NBC News, you can expect a policy credit of between 10 and 15 percent for wind protection upgrades, like impact windows and doors. Not to mention thousands saved on repairs if your home were to be severely damaged in a storm.
3. They’ll add curb appeal
While we often think of impact windows in terms of their functionality, they have aesthetic benefits, too. Available in a variety of styles, shapes, sizes, and frames, impact windows can transform the entire look of your home.
Whether you’re looking to fulfill a particular color scheme or to complement your home’s existing architectural style, hurricane windows are a smart strategy.
4. They’ll add value
Impact windows do more than fortify your home while adding curb appeal; they also add home value. In fact, a vinyl window replacement can recoup up to 73 percent of the project cost upon resale for homes in the South Atlantic region, according to Remodeling. This makes impact windows one of the top home remodeling projects in terms of returning value.
5. They’ll make your home quieter—and you, healthier.
As mentioned earlier, hurricane windows have insulating qualities due to their thickness and lamination. This also means they block out sound better. If your home is subject to noise pollution, impact windows can be the key to sought-after peace and quiet.
According to the Sleep Foundation, impact windows can even improve your health and wellbeing by helping you get a better night’s sleep. Short-term benefits include less irritability and better mental health, while long-term effects include lower blood pressure, heart health, weight maintenance, and prevention of type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
6. They’ll make your home safer
Hurricane impact windows don’t just defend against extreme weather, harmful UV rays, and noise, they also defend against another threat—this one of the human variety.
Along with doors, windows are a primary point of entry for criminals. Because of their strength and design, hurricane impact windows do an excellent job of deterring would-be intruders from breaking into your home.
Want to further fortify your home to improve security? Upgrade to hurricane impact doors, too.
Upgrading your windows may not seem like a budget priority right now. However, your priorities can change very quickly when your home is in the path of a major storm. That’s why passive hurricane preparation is so important.
Furthermore, when you consider the many benefits of this popular home improvement, there’s also another way of looking at it. Rather than thinking of high performance impact resistant windows and doors as an expense, think of them as an investment in your home and health.
Have a question about whether impact doors and windows are right for you, or looking for a quote on impact doors and windows for your home? Contact the CGI team today.
