Those of us in South Florida are all too familiar with destructive hurricanes. In September of 2017, Hurricane Irma caused more than $3 billion in property damage. Now, in 2022 Hurricane Ian may have been the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history.
Hurricanes can cause significant damage to your home, including structural damage, water damage, and wind damage. In addition, hurricanes can also cause power outages and flooding. Hurricane Ian caused massive damage, flooding and left more than 2.5-Million Floridian’s without power.
It’s important to take steps to protect your home against these natural disasters. One way to do this is to install hurricane windows. These windows are specially designed to help to protect against the impact of debris and wind damage.
It’s impossible to stop a hurricane, but it is possible to lessen its damage. Paradise Exteriors can help protect your home by installing impact windows, commonly known as hurricane windows in South Florida. These windows provide several benefits for South Florida residents.
1. Additional Protection Benefit
The oldest method of hurricane protection still used by many homeowners is nailing plywood boards over window and door openings. Not only will this damage your frames or siding in the process, but boards do not provide sufficient protection against the impacts of debris and wind.
Thankfully, the home improvement industry has improved its hurricane protection technology over time.
Today, there are numerous hurricane protection solutions available for South Florida homeowners, but not all of them are equally effective in preventing severe weather from impacting your home. From metal shutters to panels and hurricane fabric, there are many that claim to provide complete protection, but do they?
You probably already have hurricane panels or shutters over your windows. Plenty of homes have them to prevent damage from flying debris. But hurricane windows provide additional protection.
The greatest benefit that hurricane windows provide is their ability to provide complete coverage of your window openings at all times. These windows create a seal that prevents wind and water from seeping into your home.
Debris also stays out because the glass might splinter, but it won’t shatter into pieces. Once your windows are installed, that’s it. No further setup or maintenance is required to protect your home ahead of a hurricane’s arrival in your neighborhood.
2. Protection from Robbery
Burglars often enter homes via a broken window. At Paradise Exteriors, we’ve replaced enough broken windows to know it’s a preferred entry method. Once the glass is broken, the thief can crawl through the window or reach inside and unlock a nearby door.
In South Florida, many burglars attempt to steal items from homes in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane. With neighborhoods evacuated and power lines down, this creates an ideal environment for someone to slip in and out of homes undetected.
Impact windows are designed to withstand high speeds of wind and debris. And that means another one of the benefits of hurricane windows is they are also likely to withstand a tossed brick, the impact of a baseball bat or an attempted elbow through the window pane.
When an intruder attempts to strike an impact window, the window will either completely resist the blow or it will break while still retaining its shape without shattering. This can deter would-be burglars from entering your home and encourage them to leave your property.
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3. Save Money on Insurance
Installing hurricane windows can possibly lower your insurance premiums. Insurance companies like it when policyholders take steps to protect their property. Preventative measures are often rewarded with lower premiums.
Upgrading windows to impact windows is a form of home improvement, but it also increases safety. Other improvements include measures such as burglar alarms, new locks, and storm doors.
In South Florida, you might have homeowner’s insurance, hurricane insurance, and a separate policy for floods. Contact your insurance company to see if benefits are available.
4. Benefit by Lowering Your Energy Bill
Most people are surprised to learn that impact windows can help to save energy. We love to educate people about the safety aspects of hurricane windows. But we also should mention that the windows are energy efficient.
The windows have an excellent seal, much stronger than what you’d find on a traditional window. This seal prevents unwanted air from entering your home, and it also keeps unwanted air out. And the ultraviolet-resistant glass provides protection from harmful UV rays.
This seal prevents air leakage, which prevents unwanted air from outside entering your home as well as keeping your indoor air inside.
When cool air leaks out of your home or warm air filters in, this can create fluctuations in temperature. To compensate, your air conditioning system will exert more energy to maintain the desired interior temperature. As a result, you end up paying more each month on your electric bill.
One of the most notable benefits of hurricane windows is the significant energy savings that they can provide. Many customers report saving over 30% on their monthly bills as a result of replacing their traditional windows with ones that offer better sealing capabilities.
Hurricane windows are also UV light-resistant. They filter these harmful rays before they can reach your home’s interior, increasing the inside temperature and damaging fabrics and surfaces.
5. Improved Noise Reduction
Outside noise can disrupt a relaxing day at home and interrupt a restful night’s sleep. With hurricane windows, the seal technology and stronger glass work in tandem to reduce the level of outside noise that enters your home.
Impact windows are good for noise reduction. You’ll appreciate this benefit if you live in an area with lots of noise. Perhaps you live near a busy intersection, have noisy neighbors, or live near the highway. Noise from outside is often distracting, and usually occurs during the most inopportune times. So in addition to protecting your home from hurricane dangers, these windows will make your home more quiet and peaceful.
Protect Your Property with Hurricane Windows
There’s no doubt that South Florida residents can appreciate the benefits of hurricane windows. This is one home improvement that will pay for itself over time. Less property damage and a lower power bill equals more money in your pocket. And also, remember that the shatter resistant glass adds an additional layer of security.
Paradise Exteriors, South Florida Specialists
Contact Paradise Exteriors to learn more about the benefits of hurricane windows. Our company welcomes your questions. You can even schedule an no obligation in-home consultation and free quote. Paradise Exteriors has been serving Florida for more than 15-years.
We offer products that have received the highest hurricane rating available. Our experienced installers are top-rated. We’ve built our quality reputation, one customer at a time!
To learn more about our windows, as well as our many financing options, contact us today to schedule your free quote.
