FAQ

• Aluminum window and door frames and sashes are among the strongest designs available.
• Wood degrades in the harsh southern climate of high humidity and sun.
• Aluminum is a recyclable green product.
• Aluminum windows and doors provide years of protection, proven by years of installations in hurricane-prone areas.
• Aluminum windows and doors are factory-finished and require minimal maintenance.

When you are evaluating hurricane protection options such as impact windows versus shutters, there are several factors you should consider:

• Do you live in the home year round? If not, who will put up the shutters when you are not there?
• Are you physically capable of installing the shutters by yourself? Are you likely to put the shutters up if a storm comes?
• Do you like the look of roll-down or accordion shutters mounted to the exterior of your house?
• Is energy efficiency important to you? Shutter systems do not provide you with energy savings like impact windows and doors.
• How important is home security to you? Unlike shutters, impact windows and doors provide 24/7 protection against intrusion.
• With impact windows and doors you will enjoy a significant reduction in outside noise and 99% of ultraviolet rays will be eliminated.
• What about safety? Oftentimes shutters remain installed after a hurricane, blocking egress in the event of a fire. Also, during a hurricane closed shutters block outside light and visibility.
• Consider what happens if a shutter fails. If glass behind the shutter breaks, the house “envelope” is breached possibly resulting in a catastrophic building failure.
• Leaving the shutters up while gone invites potential burglars.

This window treatment is not approved for impact resistance by Miami-Dade County. Refer to the question in this section that reads “Can I replace the existing glass on my windows and doors with impact glass and get the same level of protection? ”Reflective window films may be very good at reflecting the sun and making the home more comfortable. This is the same benefit that can be achieved with a coated glass product. Hurricane film on a window is not the same as impact windows and doors.

Contact your insurance company. Insurance regulations change frequently; however, currently many insurance companies offer discounts for hurricane protection.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), windows and doors are the primary sources of most household damage during a storm—which is why it’s so important to protect them. How do hurricane impact windows compare to traditional windows? Let’s take a look.

In coastal environments, standard windows and glazed portions of doors are vulnerable to impact from windborne debris, FEMA reveals. Once broken, traditional windows and glazed portions of doors can allow wind, debris, and rain into the interior of the building In addition, shattered windows and doors increase pressure within the building, which could cause long-term structural damage.

By design, storm impact windows utilize impact-resistant laminated glass and a special silicone glazing process to help your home withstand pressure from high winds, debris, and heavy rains. Not only will this technology keep your belongings safe, but it will increase the chance of your house remaining intact.

According to Johna Elisco, vice president of All-American Doors and Windows, exterior aluminum casings can also help if you live in a storm-prone area. “While not the top-performing material in terms of heat transfer and loss, aluminum windows are practical in rainy, humid climates, and they meet stringent coastal building codes in hurricane-prone areas thanks to their strength,” Elisco explained to HGTV.

These upgrades are especially important for older homes, which can be more damage-prone. Newer homes are often built with hurricane dangers in mind and are more likely to meet coastal building codes. In Florida, for example, building codes are updated every five years. If you have an older house, consider upgrading your windows to storm impact windows in order to prevent structural damage, and help ease anxiety throughout hurricane season.

Many home insurance policies offer discounts to homeowners who upgrade each entry point of their house, explains Dean Fulton, an insurance agent based in Fort Lauderdale.

“Adding shutters or impact glass is a huge discount, but every opening must be protected,” Fulton told the Sun-Sentinel. “That includes skylights, glass blocks, doors, and garage doors. If you had 40 openings and protected 39, the discount is still zero. You must protect all 40.”

Over time, insurance savings could help mitigate the cost of rising premiums. This is especially important if you live somewhere like Florida, where hurricanes are becoming more intense as part of a long-term climatological trend.

Even well-prepared homeowners face anxiety about potential damage to their homes and belongings during a hurricane. With many homeowners still struggling to pay for damage repairs from last year’s storms, it’s easy to understand why.

A large property upgrade—like installing storm impact windows—can feel out of reach, especially for homeowners on a budget. Local communities are still reeling from Hurricane Irma—but many homeowners are still prioritizing upgrades as they rebuild, reveals Casey Logan, a Fort Myers-based reporter.

“One of the primary initial goals is to get new roofs on homes and new storm impact windows installed in residences that mostly did not have them due to their age,” Logan writes in the News-Press.

Properties built before 2002, like many of those impacted in the Fort Myers area, are less likely to have the storm impact windows recommended by new coastal construction guidelines.

Ygrene financing can help make home upgrades like impact windows feasible and improve homeowners’ peace of mind during the next round of storms.

Last year, Florida residents claimed more than $8 billion in property damage after Hurricane Irma swept through the Gulf Coast. But that number is much lower than it could have been, says Sarasota reporter Gayle Guynup.

“Experts agree, it could have been much, much worse. If the storm surge had come through as first predicted, we would be writing a very different story,” Guynup reveals.

Homeowners in the path of Irma took on plenty of storm preparations, from closing storm shutters to laying down sandbags. But Miami native and chief meteorologist John Morales explains that homeowners can do more to lessen the cost of future repairs, too.

“I’m not talking about running to the hardware store to buy plywood,” Morales tells Ygrene. “I’m talking about having storm impact windows and perhaps some other form of permanent protection or envelope that keeps the house safe.”

As Morale suggests, even if you have upgraded your windows, remember to take extra precautions before evacuating. Florida-based contractor Chris Gratton agrees. “Even if you have impact-resistant windows, you should still brace them and leave shutters closed,” Gratton told Consumer Reports.

Learn more about the advantages of storm protection upgrades and find out if your property qualifies.

Another ancillary benefit of storm impact windows is that they can insulate your home from noise. Because storm impact windows are made with laminated glass—with an extra layer of polyvinyl butyral designed to catch debris—they provide excellent soundproofing in addition to storm protection.

Experts indicate that the average window has an STC, or Standard Transmission Coefficient (the value used to gauge sound transmission), of 29 or less—while storm impact windows have an STC between 32 and 35. That’s a big difference if you’re trying to block out street noise.

Impact windows will not only improve your home’s safety should a hurricane hit, but they’ll also help your home feel comfortable, private, and calm throughout the year.