New Report: Incentives for the Use of Residential Fire Sprinklers Systems

The Fire Protection Research Foundation has released a new report identifying the nature and impact of incentives “as a mechanism to expand the installation of fire sprinkler systems in homes.” The research “identified, characterized, and estimated the approximate value of sprinkler system incentives found in communities across the U.S.”

The study concluded that “when comparing the estimated value of incentives to a typical cost of a fire sprinkler system for a new single-family home” homebuilders benefited the most, with an average of $1,949, “which a community might reasonably offer” to offset about one-third of the system cost. 

According to the report, in addition to these direct cost savings “it is also possible that builders would derive an indirect benefit from other categories of incentives which could further offset the cost of sprinklers." For example, a builder may also benefit financially from developer incentives passed down to the builder, or homeowner incentives used as a marketing tool to help sell the home. However, this estimation of indirect benefits is beyond the scope of the study and was not included in the $1,949 figure or the 33% cost offset.

Typical homeowner incentives are annually recurring and amount to $145. Developer oriented incentives amount to $1,271, which does not include the value of reduced cul-de-sac widths (identified in the study as typically amounting to $10,752 per cul-de-sac), or increased dead-end street length.

This latest study demonstrates what we have known all along; incentives work to increase the cost/benefit value of home fire sprinkler systems. Communities should strive to work towards these incentives and create policy that will make developers and builders pass on these cost savings to home buyers, reducing the financial impact to homeowners that is so often cited by home fire sprinkler opponents. 

Click here to read the entire report

Maria Figueroa

 

Comments

[Inspector911]

Maria, this information is great and wanted to say thanks for your work at the faces of fire campaign. I've been thinking about singing to the choir discussion and I was caught this week with this. I have all the information and thought I was sharing it with the right people, but I forgot some section and it almost came to get me this week on a development that will have residential sprinklers installed.

Thanks for all your hard work!