One of the largest dangers during a wildfire is embers being drawn into your home’s vents and catching it on fire. In fact, wind-blown embers cause about 90% of wildfire damage.
Brandguard Vents manufactures and installs fire-rated vents that help keep embers out of your home during a wildfire. Installing these vents and taking other actions to defend your home against wildfires can earn you a discount on your home insurance policy.
For over 20 years, our company has provided innovative fire safety solutions for homeowners throughout California. We offer superior products with free estimates and professional installations.
The Importance of Fire-Rated Vents
Every home needs vents to help control moisture, shed heat, and provide healthy air for the home’s occupants. But these vents can pose a threat during wildfires, providing easy entry to allow the fire to spread to your home. Fire-rated vents keep these embers out of the home while still letting plenty of air flow into and out of the structure.
Insurance Discounts for Fire-Rated Vent Installation
Adding fire-rated vents to your home can help you qualify for home insurance discounts from the Safer From Wildfires initiative. California Fair Plan Insurance program members can save up to 14.5% total if all the steps to harden the home against wildfires have been taken, so it’s well worth the effort to reach out to your insurance broker to learn how you can qualify.
The discounts are divided into two types:
Protecting the Structure
Up to a 10% discount can be earned by taking steps to protect the structure of your home directly. This includes:
- Installing a fire-rated roof: Adding a roof that is resistant to fire and meets Class-A fire ratings, such as fiberglass shingles, metal, or clay tiles, can help stop fires from spreading from home to home.
- Installing fire-rated vents: Fire-rated vents can keep wildfire embers out of your home, preventing them from igniting materials like wood framing, insulation, cardboard boxes, or fabrics.
- Hardening your windows: Adding dual-pane windows, tempered glass, and fire-resistant shutters can help keep flames, heat, and embers out of your home.
- Enclosing your eaves: Instead of having decorative, open eaves, enclosing them can protect vulnerable wood framing and trim from flames and embers.
Protecting the Surrounding Area
Creating and maintaining a defensible zone around your home in accordance with California Public Resources Code 4291 can help reduce the risk of fire spreading to your home by reducing the amount of fuel in the vicinity. Taking the following steps can earn you up to a 5% discount on your home insurance policy:
- Creating a 5-foot defensible zone: By clearing all vegetation, fencing, and other debris within a 5-foot perimeter of your home, you can greatly reduce the chance of flames and embers reaching your home.
- Clearing vegetation: Tall grasses, shrubs, trees, dead leaves, and firewood piles can all increase the risk of fire spreading to your home and should be removed, especially under decks or porches.
- Maintaining an ember-resistant zone: All trash and vegetation should be removed from within five feet of your home, and ember-resistant landscaping should be used to prevent flame propagation.
- Clearing a 30-foot radius around your home: Create a buffer zone around your home by eliminating any outbuildings, wood fencing, or other structures that could catch fire and help it spread to your home.
Take Advantage of Insurance Discounts Today
If you’d like to protect your home and reduce your insurance premiums, contact your insurance broker today. They can explain the benefits of choosing a California Fair Plan Insurance policy or a standard policy, and they’ll help you learn how to harden your home against wildfires while earning valuable discounts on your insurance policy. The discounts vary by plan and insurance provider, so it’s essential to talk to your insurance broker.
Schedule Fire-Rated Vent Installation
Installing fire-rated vents is one of the best investments you can make to protect your home against wildfires. At Brandguard Vents, we offer top-quality, patented vent designs that provide superior airflow while keeping out wildfire embers, rodents, birds, and other pests.
Our products are backed by a full 20-year warranty, and they offer a variety of size and finish options, with vents available for foundations, soffits, eaves, gables, balconies, roofs, and more. We have served California homeowners since 2003, and as a member of the TENMAT family, we’re backed by a company with over 100 years of fire protection experience.
Call Brandguard Vents today to request a free estimate for a fire-rated vent installation anywhere in California.
