Green Options » Green insurance

Earth Conscious Insurance - It Can Save You Money to Go Green

Brenda Keener — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:02:56 +0000

Green business practices are not limited to factories and buildings anymore. According to Yahoo Finance, some insurance companies are offering clients who drive green cars or live in green homes a break on their premiums. Still others are offering to rebuild a green home that is lost due to fire or other catastrophes “greener” than it was before.

Novato based Fireman’s Fund is now offering a 5% discount on homeowner’s policies for those who live in LEED certified homes. Fireman’s also offers a Green Upgrade, which allows a homeowner the option to rebuild it greener with a slight premium adder.

Farmer’s Insurance offers up to a 10% discount for drivers of hybrid vehicles currently, and is planning to offer a new Green homeowner’s policy in 28 states by this summer.

Very soon, it will pay to go green!

Green Homeowners Insurance Repairs Damaged Homes Sustainably

Becky Striepe — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:38:52 +0000

[image via Mae Noelle]

Homeowners using sustainable building materials or installing alternative energy sources now have an insurance option that will cover these green upgrades in case of a disaster. Fireman’s Fund offers this “green” homeowners insurance in select states. Georgia signed on to the program in July, joining 23 others.

Coverage isn’t limited to folks with green additions on their homes. If an event results in “total loss,” the coverage will replace the damage with products that meet LEED standards! Additionally, it covers the cost of any necessary demolition and the pricey hauling of debris to a recycling facility rather than a junk yard.

States have been able to sign on since June, and Illinois was the first place that green coverage was available. Coverage is now available in:

The Next Green Thing: Green Insurance

Joel Bittle — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:13:02 +0000

As I walked from booth to booth looking for something new and different at last month’s Greening the Heartland conference, I actually did a double take when I saw the words “Green Insurance” on one display. Here was something new that I had to learn more about - was it another gimmick or attempt to force green into an unrelated industry? I spoke to Stephen Horack, a ”Green Insurance Specialist” of St. Louis based Huntleigh McGehee, and I have to say that I was sold on the idea right away. Green insurance is not just a good idea, it’s potentially a revolutionary idea.

Started in 2006 by Fireman’s Fund, a member of the United States Green Building council, green insurance protects owners of green commercial or residential buildings. In the case of a loss, Fireman’s Fund would bring in a LEED-AP to oversee reconstruction of the building to its original LEED certification level, making sure that the building systems operate at peak performance and in alignment with one another. If this seems like a no-brainer, consider submitting rebuilding plans to an insurance company that has no experience with green building. Would you have to explain why every component of the building was built that way, rather than a less expensive non-green alternative?