Improving Your View
One of the most impressive images from the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael last week was the family home of Dr. Lebron Lackey on Mexico Beach, Florida. Still standing amid the debris of so many other homes that were completely leveled in this storm, the “Sand Palace” is a testimony to the staying power of a home built to endure.
In an interview with the New York Times, Dr. Lackey stated he and his uncle built the beach house to withstand winds of 250 mph. Although it was not without damages, most of the windows remained intact. So what strength of impact resistance does it take to withstand a wind incident of that speed?
Windows are rated for their design pressure (DP rating), which reflects the strength of the window and how well it will withstand high winds. The higher the DP rating the stronger the window. For the purpose of hurricane resistance, a rating of DP30 or higher is needed.
- DP30 can withstand sustained winds up to 110 mph or a Category 2
- DP40 is able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 127 mph
- DP50 is the highest rated window and has been tested to withstand a wind load up to a Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 156mph
Might Be Worth Considering
If you’re thinking of retrofitting your home for hurricane windows, you can expect to pay upwards of $50 per square foot of window area, plus installation costs. In addition to protecting your home from hurricane-strength winds, here are a few additional advantages:
- Security – discourages break-ins through windows
- Lower Energy Costs
- UV Ray Reduction
- Sound Reduction
- Adds to Property Value
- Lower Insurance Costs*
*Florida Statute 627.0629 requires insurance companies to offer Florida homeowners “discounts, credits, or other rate differentials…” for construction techniques that reduce damage and loss in windstorms. The discounts are calculated based on the wind portion of your total insurance premium and range between 15% and 70% of the total premium, depending on where you live in Florida.
The set of variables is too complex to estimate the dollar amount of discounts. If you would like to get a quote on how much of a difference hurricane windows will make in your wind insurance coverage, give us a call at Pallant / NSi Insurance Group.
