by Georgia Fay

Created on: June 18, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2010

I strongly believe using Bahamas/Bermuda window shutters for windows, besides the obvious use for protection, they provide real benefits to the home for security, decorative beauty, and energy conservation.

I had first hand experience of the benefits of Bermuda window shutters on windows growing up on the island of Bermuda located in the sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean and living through many hurricanes. When I was a child, the shutters on our house were made of wood and were securely shut by iron metal fasteners bolted on the inside of the window sill. Also during the heat of the mid-day in summer, my mother would close the shutters over the window glass to help keep the house cool. Although this made the house dark and gloomy, it was cool and we never used air-conditioners or fans.

Having Shutters on our windows along with having Bermuda limestone in the structure of our house gave our house more than adequate fortitude and protection from the flying debris and e pressure of 60 100 miles an hour hurricane forced winds.

I remember during a particular devastating hurricane a large tree branch near our house broke off and smashed against my bedroom window shutters. The window glass did not brake as the shutters took the force of the hit. However it was a very scary sound.

In later years, Bermuda shutters were made of tin/aluminum metal and although they continued to offer protection for the windows, they were not as lasting and reliable as wooden shutters. Metal shutters and their fasteners tend to become rusty in Bermuda's salty, humid atmosphere and would brake off and fly away in hurricane force winds 80 to 120 miles an hour. This was the case with many homes during Hurricane Fabian of 2003 in Bermuda.

All Bermudians know that when a hurricane is approaching, disaster preparedness is to apply grey masking tape criss-cross all window panes this helps to ease the pressure from the storm force, close the shutters and fasten them securely and hanker down to wait it out.

However, whether the shutters are wood or metal, shutters are very important for protection of your home from severe weather of hurricane, tornadoes and hail storms.

Shutters also add beauty to your home as they frame the windows in such a way that gives your home a traditional homely look like in the crayon drawings of young children.
Along with the pretty picture shutters give to your windows, shutters provide good reliable security for your home. Because shutters fasten from the inside, thieves can not open the shutters from the outside. To take shutters off thieves would have to saw the hinges off and that would be difficult to do because the hinges, shutters, and fasteners are made of metal.

Every house that is located in severe weather areas for hurricanes, tornadoes and hailstorms should have shutters, Bahama or Bermuda style, attached to their window frames for protection, security, energy conservation and added beauty to the overall picture of the home.

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