Your home is one of the most significant assets you own. You spend much on your mortgage and would not risk losing it during a disaster. Insurance alone may not be enough since you would be required to pay high premiums when you live in high-risk regions.
Extreme weather conditions like hurricanes can cause severe damage to your home. Also, it can damage the items and appliances you have in your home, and it can be expensive to repair or replace these items. As a result, you can opt to install impact windows to protect your home in such instances. Besides, they will help you lower your insurance and electricity costs. Below are the benefits you will enjoy when using impact windows.
Protect the House during Disaster
Impact windows are not associated with hurricanes alone. There can be other disasters like hailstorms, strong wind, and heavy downpours. Installing an impact window will include a solid and indestructible outer layer on your delicate windows. As such, you can be sure that your home and valuables are safe during a disaster or extreme weather condition.
Reduced Electricity Cost
Most homes incur high electricity bills to cool or warm their houses. However, hurricane windows help reduce electricity costs by regulating temperatures in the house by adding an extra layer to the windows. Therefore, during hot summers, the impact window would reflect away hot sun rays from entering. This would reduce the dependence on an air conditioner to cool the room. On the other hand, the impact window would trap air between the windows to insulate the house during the cold season. Therefore, a homeowner doesn’t have to depend on a heating system to warm the room.
Reduced Insurance Cost
Insuring a house is a good idea to prepare for any disaster. Therefore, if a risk happens, the insurance company would take care of the repairs and replacement of damaged items. However, when you live in a high-risk area like Florida that experiences hurricanes most of the time, you will pay higher premiums.
Installing impact windows in your house will provide safety during disasters. You are sure that your home is protected against risks like water damage, wind, and floods. Therefore, an insurance company will guarantee discounts when you have installed safety measures like impact windows. As such, premiums you pay will not be as high as when you didn’t have the impact windows. Some insurance companies can discount as high as half the premium you pay.
Avails Tax Benefits
Laws passed in 2008 state that homeowners who have made improvements to their houses leading to high energy efficiency may qualify for tax deductibles. First, installing impact windows helps in reducing electricity bills. Therefore, you have to ensure that your impact windows meet Energy Star standards before you claim the tax benefits. If you qualify, you will be given a credit of 10% of the total amount you used to install the windows. However, this credit has a maximum of $200 for every window that you install. Besides, you may also earn a $500 tax credit for total energy efficiency. As such, impact windows can help you spend less on taxes and save money by lowering your electric bill.
Reduce Overall Noise
Your home should be a place to relax and spend time with your loved ones. After a long day of work, you want to find peace in your home. As such, you do not wish to experience noise from neighbors or traffic. Also, there can be noise from outside during a heavy downpour that you don’t want to enter the house. Impact windows will act as a noise cancellation system as it adds an extra layer to your windows. The trapped air in between insulates the home. You can therefore spend time with your loved ones or enjoy a sound sleep without having to worry about the noise outside.
Bottom-Line
Impact windows have been a good addition for homeowners. Even though they are meant to protect the home during disasters like hurricanes, they benefit the homeowners. For instance, impact windows regulate home temperature, save on electricity bills, and guarantee discounts on home insurance. Besides, they assure the homeowner tax benefits and help in noise reduction.