2017 Annual Highlights - IBHS
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2017
Annual Highlights
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 1
Mother Nature was particularly punishing during 2017.
Through severe wind and hail storms, epic floods, multiple land-falling hurricanes, and
horrific wildfires, she inflicted record damage, death and devastation in communities
around the country. In the wake of these terrible natural catastrophes, many
individuals, businesses and communities became more receptive to hearing and using
IBHS information and guidance. This brief report highlights IBHS accomplishments in
the areas of research and communication that will help drive down property losses by
making residential and commercial structures stronger and safer.
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 3
4 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Creating Strong Continuous Load Paths to Keep Roofs on Houses
Stronger, more durable homes can be achieved through precise, objective engineering solutions, which IBHS generates
through rigorous research and testing.
The highest level of IBHS’ FORTIFIED Home™ program (Gold) requires a strong continuous load path (CLP). This is because
properly tying a house together from the roof through the walls to the foundation enables it to withstand the significant
stress of high winds that try to both push and pull building materials and systems apart. While newer building codes in coastal
areas require a continuous load path, away from the coasts, such building practices are not in use, even though they could
substantially reduce damage from straight line wind storms and tornadoes.
To help confirm and illustrate the importance of a strong continuous load path for inland homeowners, builders, policymakers
and other stakeholders, this summer IBHS conducted a series of groundbreaking tests on a 1,400 square foot home built with
a continuous load path that met the IBHS FORTIFIED Home–High Wind Gold standard. Known as the science house, this home
had a two-car garage and was typical of homes in the middle of the country, with one critical difference – it had a FORTIFIED
Home–High Wind Gold strong continuous load path. The science house was fully instrumented with more than 500 individual
sensors to monitor forces (wind pressures and loads) being carried through critical elements and connections, as well as to
measure the stresses and any deformation of the building as it responded to those forces. The science house was subjected to
wind testing: 1) from different directions, 2) at different wind speeds, 3) at different stages of construction, 4) with different
levels of wall anchorage, and 5) with various exterior wall openings (as though individual windows and doors were damaged/
breached).
NEW RESEARCH FINDING – During this testing, IBHS engineers confirmed the value of a strong, properly connected
continuous load path. In addition, they discovered that closing interior doors helps compartmentalize wind pressure inside
a home into smaller areas, reducing the overall force on the roof structure and giving the roof a better chance to stay intact.
High winds place homes under intense pressure as the wind tries to pull the structure apart from the outside. If the wind is
also allowed to enter a home through an open or broken window, for example, strong upward pressure on the ceiling and roof
structure adds to the problem. Pressure in a home can build like air in a balloon, eventually causing the roof to break free from
the walls and become airborne. Testing showed that closing interior doors during a high wind event can reduce the risk of
significant roof damage by limiting the footprint of the internal pressure balloon effect, containing it to a single room instead
of the entire home. It should be noted however, that in surge-prone areas, to avoid water build-up to different levels between
rooms, it may be better to leave doors on the lower floor open.
“SHUT THE DOORS ON IRMA” – This new research finding pertaining to interior doors was identified just prior to Hurricane
Irma, so IBHS quickly mounted a public awareness campaign using both print media and social media to spread the word
about the importance of closing interior doors during high-wind events. The result was excellent traditional media coverage,
social media activity, and substantially increased traffic to IBHS’ website.
• More than one million people visited IBHS’ website due to the “Shut the Doors to Hurricane Irma” campaign,
which ran from September 6 to 10; 600,000 people spent significant time on the site on September 8 alone.
• More than 18 million people are estimated to have read or seen stories mentioning IBHS between July and
September this year, and IBHS was mentioned in nearly 2,000 stories via outlets such as the Associated Press,
USA Today, Bloomberg, ABC News and TIME.
• IBHS provided a variety of timely, actionable content for IBHS member use with policyholders, employees,
agents, brokers, and others via their own communication channels.
ADDITIONAL CLP RESEARCH OUTCOMES – This series of continuous load path tests also:
• Demonstrated that a typical garage door, as would be found on inland houses, failed at wind speeds much
lower than they should be designed to withstand.
• Determined the least amount of structural reinforcements needed to affordably and reasonably achieve
significantly greater durability.
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 5• Tested how a continuous load path safely transfers/carries the forces that wind inflicts on a home and disperses
those forces through the strongest parts of the home and safely into the ground.
• Generated a new, much-needed benchmark data set for home designers and builders; to date, architects and
engineers have had to make estimates based on much less precise data.
This new data will provide important scientific guidance for all stakeholders in the building and construction industry, including
informing technical standards and building codes. It also will provide further proof of the value of FORTIFIED construction
standards and the critical importance of IBHS’ continuous load path recommendations. The resulting massive data set and
analysis (to be completed in 2018) will be used by insurers and modelers, as well as structural designers and engineers working
on wood frame construction in the U.S. and around the world.
It should be noted that much of the housing stock in coastal states with hurricane exposure is also older wood frame
construction (such as that seen in the Midwest), so the data are applicable to that segment of the built environment as well.
Once testing on the science house was completed, the FORTIFIED components related to the continuous load path were
removed, including straps that tie the roof to walls, as well as additional anchor bolts and wall corner hold-downs beyond
those required by the building code to tie the walls to the foundation. IBHS scientists then subjected the house to the kind of
high winds typical of severe thunderstorms in the middle of the country; as expected, the house came apart when wind speeds
reached 100+ mph.
CLP MEDIA DEMONSTRATION – A second identical house, known as the demonstration house was constructed to typical
building code requirements for a home located in the middle of the country. This house was used to publicly demonstrate
the vulnerability of existing homes to wind damage. As a result, media outlets were invited to observe and report on the
testing. National media outlets who attended the demonstration included CNN, FOX News Channel, NBC’s TODAY Show and
the Weather Channel, in addition to multiple regional and local media outlets.
Like the science house, the demonstration house had a two-car garage and was typical of homes in the middle of the country.
There were three primary differences between the two test houses:
• The demonstration house did not have a FORTIFIED Home–High Wind Gold strong continuous load path.
• Unlike the science house, the demonstration house was not instrumented to collect precise scientific data.
• The demonstration house was fully furnished like a typical family home.
The demonstration house was subjected to the same high winds placed on the science house, and the demonstration house
failed during testing, sadly evident of what too often happens when homes in the middle of country experience wind gusts
over 100 mph or are subjected to EF-1 or EF-2 tornado winds (which also occur on the peripheral edges of EF-3, EF-4, and
EF-5 tornadoes.) These high-wind storms cause billions of dollars in insured property damage each year. That damage, the
associated costs, and displacements of homeowners and businesses, can be greatly reduced.
Reducing Hail Damage
IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF ASPHALT SHINGLES – In 2017, based on meticulous IBHS lab and field work during the last
few years, IBHS completed a draft of a more realistic hail impact performance test standard for asphalt shingles. Current test
standards are not accurate predictors of real world shingle performance. The IBHS standard should provide insurers, consumers
and other stakeholders with more accurate insights into how various products resist hail damage. Once implemented, IBHS will
be able to specifically name superior and inferior performers.
The draft standard has been reviewed by IBHS’ Research Advisory Council (RAC). In early 2018, IBHS will vet a proposed
damage matrix and evaluation decision process with claims professionals. After that, IBHS will reach out to roofing industry
stakeholders, who are very interested in seeing the new standard, to answer questions and discuss possible collaboration on
the best path forward for deploying the standard. Options for implementation include: a) IBHS managing the testing process
6 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTSas part of a stand-alone standard; b) seeking adoption of the standard through the consensus process at UL or ASTM; or, c)
partnering with a third party to administer the standard. The decision about how to most efficiently and effectively use the
standard will be made by the IBHS Board of Directors in 2018, with the goal of beginning testing and producing comparative
results for members and the public no later than 2019.
MORE ACCURATE HAIL FORECASTING–IBHS research is improving hail forecasting to help underwriters and claims
executives wrestling with when and where to deploy claims and anti-fraud resources. Results from new Penn State University
research supported by IBHS are already helping improve hailstorm forecasting by enabling meteorologists to identify more
specific sets of atmospheric conditions that signal production of damaging hail within thunderstorms.
That work was published in the Journal of Atmospheric Science this year and very well received at the American Meteorological
Society Severe Local Storms Conference, sparking additional interest within the meteorological community. In addition,
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has already begun to explore how the results can improve severe hail forecasts. IBHS scientists
continue to collaborate with Penn State researchers to build upon this work and determine how it can be applied to further
improve and categorize hail risk levels.
Reducing Wildfire Damage
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION – Record wildfires in multiple states cost dozens of lives and destroyed
thousands of structures this year. Throughout 2017, IBHS worked to expand the reach of Institute research findings and related
guidance, with a particular focus on existing consumer-facing programs. An excellent example of this occurred this year with
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which integrated IBHS’ structural protection guidance into its Firewise USA™
program.
Firewise is active in 40 states and has documented more than $76 million worth of local wildfire safety actions in communities
since 2003. Thousands of communities participate in the program, each working to mitigate their own wildfire vulnerabilities.
However, Firewise has long been missing one critical component of individual home and community loss control: guidance
about how to better protect vulnerable structures. To meet that need, in 2017, IBHS and NFPA produced five consumer-facing
fact sheets spotlighting several steps homeowners can take to effectively reduce the likelihood of building ignitions from
wildfire. The guidance derives from IBHS research about how windblown embers cause structural ignition; among the building
components addressed are the roof, vents, soffits, decks and fences.
State forestry agencies and local fire departments, among other fire service organizations, also will use this IBHS-NFPA content
as a valuable addition to their own education and outreach efforts. This is an especially important delivery channel for IBHS’
structural protection guidance, because homeowners rank firefighters as their most trusted source for wildfire mitigation
information.
Through this new Firewise initiative, IBHS wildfire mitigation guidance will reach tens of thousands of homeowners living in
wildfire-prone communities—the very people who most urgently need to act on IBHS’ mitigation recommendations. IBHS
will continue partnering with the fire services to get critical research-based structural building science information for wildfire
protection into the hands of homeowners, business owners, and policymakers who have jurisdiction over building codes.
CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE (WUI) CODE PROPOSALS – IBHS has submitted three proposals to revise
California’s Building Code Chapter 7A Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure. These three initiatives
all stem from research findings achieved in the large test chamber at the IBHS Research Center:
• Requirement of a metal drip edge to reduce the vulnerability of burning debris in gutters igniting adjacent
wood roof framing members.
• Requirement of a 6-inch clearance between the ground and combustible siding, to reduce the potential for
embers that collect at the wall-to-ground interface from igniting wall siding.
• Open-ended proposal to address the vulnerability of ignition from embers that collect in door jambs, which has
not yet achieved a consensus solution in task group discussions, but is in process.
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 7Engaging the Commercial and Residential Roofing Industries
IBHS is making meaningful progress to deepen and expand productive relationships with roofing industry leaders who can
accelerate adoption of IBHS’ research results and related guidance. For the last few years, the Institute has focused on getting
roofs right, because the roof is every building’s first line of defense against Mother Nature, making it both the most important
and most vulnerable system for every house and commercial property. Some excellent examples of IBHS’ progress are noted
below.
SINGLE PLY ROOFING INDUSTRY (SPRI) – The Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI), asked the Institute this year to discuss
potential collaboration on research related to the wind performance and standardized testing of single ply roofing membranes.
SPRI is a commercial roofing industry trade association, widely considered the authority on single ply roofing. Noting IBHS’
scientific credibility and unique capabilities, SPRI proactively reached out to explore IBHS research plans that will affect their
industry. This is exactly the type of industry leadership that will raise the bar for roofing wind performance in the future, and
IBHS looks forward to working collaboratively with SPRI to accelerate the acceptance and impact of IBHS research.
NATIONAL ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION (NRCA) AND THE ASPHALT ROOFING MANUFACTURERS
ASSOCIATION (ARMA) – IBHS efforts with NRCA and ARMA focus on reducing residential and commercial roof losses from: 1)
improper installation; 2) under-performing roof cover; 3) weather events; and, 4) post-disaster contractor fraud. Among other
things, IBHS has been working with NRCA and ARMA to find common ground in the building codes and standards arena. This
surprising alliance of organizations, which traditionally have stood on opposite sides of virtually all proposed changes to codes
or standards, is already bearing fruit in the form of ASCE and ASTM standard improvements.
Also this year, ARMA, NRCA, and IBHS created a roundtable, known as the Professional Roofing and Insurance Council, to further
enhance communication regarding key roofing-related issues that affect memberships of all three organizations. Council
members also will reach out to other stakeholders (e.g., product distributors and builders) as appropriate.
It is clear that the roofing industry leadership appreciates that their industry and insurers have common customers; that
commercial and residential building owners all deserve a quality roof with properly installed, good-performing products;
and that, when necessary, roofs should be repaired or replaced correctly. Most importantly, they see the insurance industry’s
innovative and insightful work being conducted through IBHS as something they should align with, rather than oppose.
FORTIFIED ROOFER TRAINING – In addition to installing, repairing and replacing roofs, roofing contractors can educate
homeowners about the value of improvements such as a sealed roof deck and proper attachment of all roof system elements.
To equip quality contractors with appropriate information about such important roof system elements, in 2017, IBHS began
training roofers about FORTIFIED concepts and implementation. Classes have been sponsored by insurance organizations
and roofing companies, as well as Habitat for Humanity International. IBHS is currently in discussions with NRCA about a more
formal training program that could be launched in 2018.
Improving Building Codes
LOUISIANA BUILDING AND ELECTRICAL CODES – In June, the Louisiana governor issued an Executive Order suspending
adoption of the 2015 editions of the International Residential Code® (IRC), International Building Code® (IBC), and the 2014 National
Electrical Code® (NEC). While IBHS always is concerned about delays in adoption of newer building codes, this was a particular
problem in Louisiana, due to a 2013 Emergency Declaration that weakened residential building code wind design provisions
as a result of the state’s earlier failure to adopt maps that specified areas where engineering design and windborne debris
protection are required by the IRC. The problem with specifying areas with these requirements would be solved with updated
maps included in the 2015 edition of the IRC. After learning about the Executive Order, IBHS reached out to the Louisiana State
Uniform Construction Code Council (Council) and the Louisiana Insurance Commissioner; both were immediately responsive.
IBHS presented on the issue at a meeting of the Louisiana Property and Casualty Insurance Commission in early October, which
was interested in both the building science and insurance implications of delayed code adoption. Governor Edwards recently
8 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTSrescinded the Executive Order, allowing adoption of the 2015 editions of the IRC and IBC and the 2014 NEC. The Council had
already voted to adopt them pending the Governor’s lifting of the Executive Order, so it is anticipated that the codes will
become effective by the beginning of February 2018.
Members-Only Initiatives
SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL BUILDING PROTECTION TRAINING – In mid-October, IBHS hosted the second Commercial
Building Protection Training program for member companies. Twenty-eight individuals from 18 member companies attended,
with varying experience and background. Participants were particularly interested to learn how the research conducted at the
Research Center has practical application in commercial lines insurance operations. At the close of the training, surveys were
issued to the attendees and their responses were very positive—the group will be surveyed again in January to assess the
ways in which attendees operationalized what they learned during the training session. Given the affirmative feedback (and
continued member interest), another training session is planned for 2018.
MEMBERS-ONLY WEBINARS – IBHS continued its popular“members-only”webinars to highlight recent research and mitigation
guidance. Other members-only content included seasonal weather packages and last-minute emergency preparedness and
response alerts, as well as new commercial lines articles/infographics every month. The use of these materials throughout
member company social media platforms continues to increase.
Reducing Wind Damage
POST-HURRICANE HARVEY RESEARCH – Following Hurricane Harvey, IBHS deployed a team of research scientists and
engineers (accompanied by several member company volunteers) to the first landfall location in Texas to survey wind damage.
This post-disaster investigation included residential and commercial structures in locations that experienced various levels of
punishing winds. This work—done in collaboration with researchers from insurance organizations and companies, academia
and government agencies—will yield valuable insights about building performance related to both wind and wind-driven rain
as the data are analyzed. The preliminary IBHS report in October revealed that all else being equal, newer buildings performed
better than older buildings, and the use of backup generators— such as those recommended in FORTIFIED Commercial™–
Hurricane Gold—could have greatly reduced business interruption losses. A more extensive analysis will be issued during the
first quarter of 2018.
FORTIFIED GROWTH AND EXPANSION – The pace of FORTIFIED designations picked up substantially during 2017, thanks in
part to productive relationships with Habitat for Humanity and leading homebuilders. In addition, IBHS launched its FORTIFIED
Home™–High Wind program during the 2017 National Tornado Summit to help homeowners located in inland areas build
safer, stronger new homes, and retrofit or repair existing homes to make them more resistant to high winds. FORTIFIED Home
is moving aggressively into Texas; and, there is an impressive initiative underway in North Carolina, while progress continues
in Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi. In addition, IBHS’ FORTIFIED Commercial—Hurricane program was launched in 2017.
More details on each of these efforts follows.
FORTIFIED HOME IN TEXAS – As noted elsewhere in this report, IBHS has been active in coastal Texas in the wake of Hurricane
Harvey. In the last several weeks of 2017, IBHS pursued several opportunities to scale up the use of FORTIFIED Home building
standards in Texas. These efforts included close coordination with the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), Texas
Department of Insurance, several coastal mayors, state legislators seeking technical assistance, and state and national insurance
industry trade associations.
One early success involved Key Allegro, an upscale residential development in Rockport, Texas, where Hurricane Harvey came
ashore. Key Allegro has adopted FORTIFIED Home standards as part of their deed restrictions. Consequently, hundreds of homes
needing to be torn down and rebuilt because of Harvey—or future storms—will be rebuilt to the FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane
Gold level (IBHS’ highest standard, which includes addressing the roof, openings, attached structures and creating a strong
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 9continuous load path). Unfortunately, a large percentage of the 800 existing homes in the development were completely
destroyed; others needing roof replacement will be rebuilt to FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane Bronze. In addition, new homes
constructed on the remaining 700 undeveloped lots must be built to FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane Gold.
IBHS is continuing to work with allies to leverage the window of opportunity that Hurricane Harvey literally blew open for
insurers, policymakers, builders, contractors and others advocating improved building codes and standards (such as FORTIFIED)
in Texas and other areas impacted by the active 2017 hurricane season.
FORTIFIED HOME BRONZE IN NORTH CAROLINA – In January, the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association
(NCIUA) implemented a six-month pilot program through which all of approximately 21,000 policyholders in the NCIUA’s two
coastal rating territories received a free endorsement to their homeowner’s policy, providing that any policyholder suffering a
covered loss that damages their roof more than 50 percent could elect to upgrade the roof to IBHS’ FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane
Bronze level standards at no cost. NCIUA is the state’s single largest coastal insurer, insuring approximately 75 percent of the
properties on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Barrier Islands. Hurricane Matthew, which hit the coast in October 2016,
damaged thousands of roofs in the state—and for NCIUA, underscored the immediate need for more resilient structures.
During the first phase of the pilot program, 15 homeowners experienced eligible losses and elected to utilize the endorsement
and obtained a FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane Bronze designation. Based on the success of the pilot program, the NCIUA Board
of Directors approved extension of the pilot to December 31, 2017, and just recently extended the pilot again through the end
of 2018. This pilot could become a model for other state wind pools to help scale up compliance with IBHS’ FORTIFIED Home
standards.
HOMEBUILDERS EMBRACING FORTIFIED – As of this year, D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, is building more
than 1,000 FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane Gold houses annually in coastal Alabama, and is now publicly endorsing FORTIFIED. The
company’s manager for Baldwin County, Alabama, recently noted that, “While [D.R. Horton] always strive[s] to build homes to
high structural standards, we are pleased to participate in the FORTIFIED Home program and to offer D.R. Horton customers in
Mobile and Baldwin Counties FORTIFIED Gold-designated homes. Owning a FORTIFIED home not only provides homeowners
with peace of mind knowing their home was independently inspected and received a designation from the program, but also
provides insurance savings in the state of Alabama, enabling D.R. Horton homebuyers to save money long-term.”
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL EMBRACING FORTIFIED – As of 2017, Habitat for Humanity International
(HFHI) has 93 affiliates around the U.S. participating in their “Habitat Strong” initiative; this means the affiliates are committed to
building more resilient homes, which include FORTIFIED techniques. Also, Habitat organizations in Texas, Minnesota, Michigan,
North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, New York, Tennessee, and Kentucky have all held FORTIFIED training sessions. In addition,
HFHI Construction Technologies promoted FORTIFIED at the annual HFHI Global Conference this year, which was attended by
thousands of HFHI staff and supporters.
FORTIFIED COMMERCIAL – FORTIFIED Commercial is IBHS’ building science standard for new construction and existing
commercial buildings. Currently, the program is accepting applications only for new construction in coastal Alabama. This
pilot is taking place because state and local enthusiasm for the FORTIFIED Home–Hurricane program in coastal Alabama led to
enactment of state legislation in support of FORTIFIED standards for commercial buildings. In addition to the pilot program and
in response to that same state statute, FORTIFIED Commercial–High Wind & Hail is now available for inland areas of Alabama;
however, applications for High Wind & Hail program designations will not be accepted by IBHS until 2018.
10 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTSMedia by the Numbers
2017 TOTAL ESTIMATED
VIEWERS/READERS:
2017 Total number of
2016 estimated people in
2016 the United States who
15% 10%
read or viewed stories
mentioning IBHS
Increase Increase
TOTAL U.S. MEDIA
MENTIONS:
U.S.-only news articles
and broadcast mentions
32.6M 37.4M 3,812 4,199 NEWS ARTICLES:
Total number of
TOTAL ESTIMATED VIEWERS/READERS U.S. MEDIA MENTIONS published news articles
that mentioned IBHS in
the United States
2017 BROADCAST
MENTIONS:
Total number of on-air
2017 2017 mentions of IBHS in the
2016 2016
8%
United States
Increase
36%
Increase
3,579 3,883 233
32M 316
37M
NEWS ARTICLES BROADCAST MENTIONS
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 11Website
USERS:
Visited at least one page
2017 of the website from the
2017 United States during this
period.
SESSIONS:
983Increase
%
845 Increase
% Occurs when a user
accesses website and
either exits or remains idle
on the site for 30 minutes.
2016 2016
125,057 1,335,222 151,673 1,435,763
USERS SESSIONS
Social Media
FACEBOOK REACH:
2017 Number of people that
may have seen our
content
2017 FACEBOOK
ENGAGEMENT:
Number of people that
258 %
Increase
200 %
Increase
interacted with our
content, such as clicking
a link, liking, sharing, or
using content in some way
2016 2016
417,525 1,483,922 387,238 1,162,586
REACH ENGAGEMENT
TWITTER IMPRESSIONS:
Number of times users
2017 are served your Tweet in
2017 timeline, search results, or
from your profile”
2016 Tweet impressions are
8 %
Increase
useful as it takes into
account new followers,
retweets, and views.
429,200
68,111 487,400
IMPRESSIONS
12 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety 2017 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS2017 Annual Highlights
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