Does Wood Stove Affect Insurance
stovefireplaceincreaseinsuranceinsurance
Does having a fireplace affect insurance?
Also to know is, does having a fireplace affect insurance?Your insurance premiums may increase when you add fireplace coverage into your policy because insurance companies often see fireplaces as an added hazard that increases the risk they will have to pay claims under that policy.
how do I know if my wood stove is certified?tell ifwood stovecertifiedcertificationCertification
Contents
Does A Wood Stove Raise Your Insurance
Does a wood-burning stove increase home insurance premiums? Your premiums will likely increase if you have a wood-burning or pellet stove, but the increase is usually insignificant. You might see higher costs from wood stoves than from pellet types because wood-burning stoves cause far more residential fires.
Adding Your Fireplace To Your Home Insurance Policy
Ideally, youd reach out to your insurance company before you have your new fireplace installed so that you can have coverage the moment the fireplace is installed. If youve already had your new fireplace installed, its best to update your insurance company right away. If your fireplace causes any damage in your home before you do, you may be responsible for covering all of the damage, even if it is severe. Homeowners sometimes avoid telling their insurance company to save some money, but thats very dangerous.
Its true that insurance companies may increase your premiums in response to this additional coverage. Or, they may ask you to purchase a different policy that covers fireplaces, which could cost less. It all depends on the specific policies you are looking at.
Youll quickly discover that the location of the fireplace also affects the insurance premiums that you will pay.
Don’t Miss: Get Your Insurance License Online
Keep Combustible Materials Far
Another common cause of house fires related to fireplaces and stoves is combustible items being left too close to the fire.
Setting an upholstered chair or a small mattress close to the fire can help you stay cozy and warm, but it’s also dangerous, especially if you leave the room for a while.
A good rule of thumb is to keep all combustible items at least three feet from the fireplace or stove.
Is Your Home Near A Fire Station Or Hydrant
How close you are to a fire station is another indicator used to adjust premiums. Fire is a major concern, so its an advantage to live near a hydrant or station. The closer you are, the better the chances of saving your property in the event of fire. In urban areas, proximity usually isnt a problem. But in more remote or rural areas, the distance may be greater, influencing the cost of insurance.
Read Also: Is Trustage Life Insurance Any Good
Why You Can Trust Bankrate
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. Weve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that were putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and reviewed by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and worthy of your trust.
Our insurance team is composed of agents, data analysts, and customers like you. They focus on the points consumers care about most price, customer service, policy features and savings opportunities so you can feel confident about which provider is right for you.
- We guide you throughout your search and help you understand your coverage options.
- We provide up-to-date, reliable market information to help you make confident decisions.
- We reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible.
All providers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide. And we constantly review our criteria to ensure were putting accuracy first.
Do Fireplaces Make Insurance Go Up
Owning a fireplace can lead to higher insurance rates no matter the time of year. Generally speaking, any home feature that presents a risk of injury or damage can increase the cost of your homeowners insurance. A fireplace may not have the same impact on policy premiums as other features for example, a pool.
You May Like: Does Lightning Mcqueen Have Car Or Life Insurance
Tis The Season To Get Cosy In Front Of The Fireplace Tis Also Going To Increase The Cost Of Your Home Insurance
In addition to the ambience that a fireplace or wood stove provides, there are many reasons homeowners opt to install wood burners, efficiency and savings on heating costs chief among them.
Unfortunately, these wonderful appliances also result in more expensive insurance premiums. Before you succumb to the romance of a wood burning unit, be sure you understand fully how it will impact your home insurance bill.
The fact is, a fireplace or woodburning stove entails having an open flame indoors. Consequently, this raises your premiums: no matter how modern your fireplace or stove is, the chance of loose sparks increases the likelihood that your insurance provider will have to pay out a claim.
What you pay for your homeowners insurance policy will depend on the type of stove or fireplace and whether or not its the homes main heating supply. This feature in your home can potentially add up to $100 or so to your annual premium. Talk to us and get an accurate quote about your particular wood burning unit!
Does A Gas Or Wood Stove Or Fireplace Increase Home Insurance
. Few things are cozier than curling up with a cup of tea next to a crackling fireplace or woodburning stove in a Canadian winter. But its not surprising that having one in your home will increase your home insurance. The amount depends on the type of stove or fireplace and whether its the main source of heat in your house. Your insurance provider may require an inspection in order to insure your home. If youre installing a fireplace or woodburning stove, make sure to tell your insurer or your insurance policy could be voided when you make a claim.
Recommended Reading: Barclaycard Travel Notification
Should You Install A Wood Stove
When searching for your perfect home, you should never be worried about fitting into specific categories or restrictions. If owning a house with a wood-burning stove is your dream, you should be prepared to have a conversation with your insurance company about premiums and how they are affected by home appliances. Its always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to fire hazards.
HOME INSURANCE BASICS
Perform Regular Fireplace Maintenance
That chimney aint gonna clean itself. Without proper annual cleaning, fireplaces become hazardous to use. Creosote and soot can build up inside your chimney, catching fire. And its waaaay easier to remove creosote when buildup is still in its early stages. Thats why you need to:
- Have your chimney annually inspected and cleaned by a certified chimney sweep. Every fall, before using your fireplace, hire a certified chimney sweep to check and clean your chimney. In addition to removing any debris and creosote or soot buildup, theyll check that everything is operating properly and help you address any issues.
- Supplement annual cleanings with self-inspections:
- Set a monthly reminder to pull out a flashlight and look for debris and buildup. At minimum, open the damper and look up the chimney. If its possible to do so safely, get on the roof and look down the chimney, too. What does creosote buildup look like? Check out this video from Ask the Chimney Sweep to see its appearance at different stages.
- Check your chimney cap every so often. Did you know your chimney has a hat? Made of metal and wire mesh, it keeps rain, snow, leaves, branches, and critters from entering your chimney. Ensure timely repair or replacement of a damaged or missing chimney cap.
You May Like: How To Obtain A Life Insurance License
Tips For Maximizing The Value Of Your Fireplace
If your home already has a fireplace, its not going to hurt your property value so long as its in good shape. A fireplace may help a property sell faster because of the way it makes people feel, like a large tub in the master bathroom, Spurgeon says.
Heres how you can make sure its marketable and show potential buyers the appeal:
Find Cheap Homeowners Insurance Quotes In Your Area
Home insurance companies usually cover wood stoves or pellet stoves as long as you meet the conditions for coverage. These conditions vary according to the provider but typically include professional installation and a safety check by an official inspector.
Insurers tend to be more cautious about providing policies to homes that rely on stoves as the only source of heating. This means if you intend to use only your wood-burning or pellet stove to heat your house, you may have a harder time getting coverage than other customers.
You May Like: Pet Health Insurance Usaa
What If You Live In A Condo Is The Insurance Different
Yes, condo insurance is slightly different than home insurance. A condo corporation will have a policy that covers the common areas outside of your unit. Your own policy will include coverage for your contents, improvements or betterments, loss assessment, additional living expenses and liability coverage. To find out more details on each of these coverages and learn more, you can read this article about What is condo insurance?.
Basic Fire Safety Items Everyone Needs
Every home should have smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers, but that’s especially so if you’re heating the house by burning wood.
Smoke and CO detectors should be installed in the room where the fireplace or stove is. These should be tested at least once a month to make sure the batteries have enough juice in them to alert you of an emergency.
Keep an eye on the pressure gauges on your fire extinguishers. If they dip below the recommended pressure, have them refilled.
Read Also: Is Trustage Life Insurance Any Good
Benefits Of Installing A Fireplace
A crackling fireplace is wonderful. It creates a warm and inviting atmosphere thats impossible to replicate. Here are more benefits:
- Add resale value to your home
- Savings on your electric bill
- Rebates for energy-saving fireplaces or wood stoves
Leave Fireplace Installation to the Pros. Get the Best Quote from Local Pros.
Extra Coverage Is An Option But You Probably Dont Need It
Many homeowners wonder if they should get additional insurance to cover fire damage. In most cases, the answer is no. Standard home insurance policies cover loss and damage caused by fire up to your coverage limits. Typical exceptions include damage caused by a fire you intentionally start or by an act of war.
However, a few circumstances warrant supplementing your homeowners insurance with separate fire insurance or getting a stand-alone policy.
- Your home is uninsurable or expensive to insure due to a history of claims
- If you live in a high-risk area and your insurer limits or drops your coverage
- To insure a vacation home, second residence, investment property or vacant home
- To insure an older home
- To supplement the cash value or replacement cost amount youll receive from your standard policy
Separate fire coverage is available through specialized Dwelling Fire insurance policies, which protect you against fire, smoke, wind and other limited perils . Coverage varies by policy, so be sure to discuss details with your insurer.
Recommended Reading: Do Parking Tickets Affect Car Insurance
Why Does Heating System Matter To My Insurance Company
Your insurance company includes your home heating type to help measure the risk of insuring your home. Depending on your heating system, the type of fuel used can increase the frequency and/or the severity of a claim. For example, with oil-based heating systems there is the chance of an oil leak which is extremely costly to clean up especially if the oil gets into the water/ground.
Tip: Be sure to keep all areas of your home including any exposed pipes heated in the cold weather seasons. If any unheated part of your home is damaged because of freezing it wont be covered. Brush up on how to prep your property for winter.
Lowering Your Insurance Premiums
While adding various features to your home can raise your premiums, there are things you can do to keep your insurance costs low. Certain home upgrades, like installing a new security system, updating your roof and buying smart home devices, can save you money.
In addition to thinking carefully about the kinds of changes you want to make to your home, its important to maintain an open line of communication with your insurer. Dont let the fear of higher premiums keep you from telling your provider about your new basement or fireplace. Being underinsured wont do you or your insurance carrier any favors.
Have questions about what features in your home could be underinsured? Contact a Hippo specialist. Were here to help!
- WV #100242534
Read Also: Is American Income Life Insurance Legitimate
How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.
How Fire Protection Affects Your Homeowners Insurance Costs
Ways to Save on Home Insurance 1. Boost the deductible. Increasing your deductible can have an immediate impact on your insurance costs. A higher deductible will result in a lower premium because youll have to pay more out of pocket when a claim is filed. If you decide to increase your deductible, be realistic.
Generally speaking, unpermitted work is not covered by your homeowners insurance. In fact, unpermitted work can interfere with your homeowners insurance as a whole. If you file a claim with your homeowners and they find out that youre having unpermitted work performed on your property, they do have the right to drop your coverage due to risk.
When you’re selling a house, you want to be sure you have the right insurance coverage in place until the closing. And if your house will be vacant, you may need special insurance.
Impact on Insurance. Homeowners must contact their insurance company before installing a wood or pellet stove to find out what impact the heating device will have on the policy.
Erie doesn’t charge more, nor does the nation’s largest property/casualty insurer, . charges extra. Tips. recommends that you have your alternative heating system installed by a licensed contractor and work with your agent to secure proper coverage.
Read Also: Car Insurance Replace Windshield
How Can I Prevent Heat Loss When Im Not Using The Fireplace
Having a fireplace in your home can provide a substantial amount of heat that wont tax your heating system. To prevent heat loss when youre not using it, make sure to close the damper so warm indoor air doesnt escape through the chimney. Also, consider replacing a poorly sealing damper if you have a wood-burning fireplace.
Can You Add A Fireplace To An Existing House
Yes, you can add a fireplace to your house! The type of fireplace you can add depends on where you live. Heres what to think about as youre doing research:
- Local ordinances, if you want to build a wood-burning fireplace
- Any extra work you might need, like chimney, duct, or electrical construction
- Price limitations
Recommended Reading: How To Apply For Life Insurance License
Lets Start With The Basics The Six Common Ways To Heat Your Home In Canada
Most homes use one of these primary heat sources:
Did you know? An estimated 5% of fire claims can be traced to heating appliances: 45% of these claims are caused by a wood-burning fireplace. 20% of these claims are caused by a malfunctioning furnace. Learn more about how to prevent fires in your home .
Is It A Good Idea To Remove A Chimney
In some cases, its a more cost-effective option to remove the chimney rather than shelling out a hefty cost to have it continually repaired. Takes up too much space. Removing your chimney can create more space in your property. If you do not intend on using the chimney, you may decide to have it completely removed.
Also Check: Does Lightning Mcqueen Have Car Or Life Insurance