IBA Southeast: Alabama encourages risk mitigation with home certification system

Grants are in place to help homeowners fortify their homes

Insurance News

By Allie Sanchez

With storm systems becoming more damaging and unpredictable, Alabama undertook the task of fortifying homes in the state against the potential risks that attend inclement weather.

According the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), after years of study, homes are usually destroyed from the roof down, and not from the foundation up, as was previously believed.

The institute has thus developed three different levels of certification for mitigating homes against damage and be considered “Fortified”: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
According to the IBHS, the Bronze designation certifies that the home has met the minimum standards for the program, which entails fortified roofing with insulation, wind rated roof vents, and other benchmarks. This rating saves around 20% on insurance.

The Silver level, meanwhile, builds on the Bronze designation with the addition of benchmarked openings, such as doors and windows and allows for 30% insurance savings.

At the top of the ladder is the Gold label, which requires a continuous load path from the roof to the wall, wall to the floor, and floor to the foundation. It does not apply to retrofitted homes, but provides insurance savings at upwards of 50%.

A $5.5 million grants is in place for 2016 so that homeowners will rise to the challenge of fortifying their homes against catastrophes, the institute further said. The grand will be increased to $10 million to specifically assist in the retrofitting of homes for Bronze certification.

Interested applicants may visit the website to register and confirm contact details.
 

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