Costly Fire Sprinklers Should be Homebuyers' Choice
March 2, 2010
Code-required smoke alarms proven effective at saving lives
COLUMBIA, SC – March 2, 2010 – Members of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia continue to actively support a bill (S.1057) which includes an amendment to give homeowners the right to decide whether they want to install costly home fire sprinkler systems in new one- or two-family homes being constructed.
“Ample evidence shows that consumers don’t want mandated home fire sprinkler systems and that hardwired smoke alarms currently required by code are 99.45% effective at saving lives in fires,” according to a National Fire Protection Association study said Home Builders Association of South Carolina (HBASC) Executive Director Mark Nix “Senate Bill 1057 gives consumers a choice and helps keep housing affordable in South Carolina.
A fire sprinkler system adds roughly $4 – $6 a square foot to the cost of an average home, and more for those on wells, according to the S.C. Home Builders Association. For each $1,000 added to the cost of an average-priced home, more than 25,000 South Carolina working families are priced out of the market, according to the National Association of Homebuilders. The mandate will also keep our citizens in less safe older homes.
“Mandating fire sprinklers would put the dream of homeownership out of reach for many South Carolinians,” Nix said. “Meanwhile, fire sprinkler manufacturers and installers would see their U.S. market share balloon from $100 million to $3 billion.”
Senate Bill 1057 – does the following:
• Gives consumers the final choice of whether to install fire sprinklers in new home construction.
• Sets up a study committee to evaluate ways to increase the voluntary use of in-home fire protection equipment including integrated smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers.
• Prohibits the mandate of costly fire sprinkler systems in new one- or two-family homes.
• Requires builders to offer fire sprinkler systems in all new homes.
Under current law, all South Carolina homes – with or without fire sprinklers – must comply with statewide building codes that require numerous proven fire safety systems such as fire blocking, fire separation, electric circuit breakers and hard-wired smoke alarms.
“Consumers should be given the final choice whether or not to install fire sprinklers,” Nix said. “Senate Bill 1057 in no way prohibits the installation of fire sprinklers in homes, and HBASC members will gladly install such systems if consumers can afford and assume the responsibilities for on-going maintenance, inspection and testing of the systems.”
According to a 2005 Harris public opinion poll, 62 percent of those surveyed said they would not purchase a home with a residential fire sprinkler system.
ABOUT HBASC:
The Home Builders Association of South Carolina (HBASC) is a professional, non-profit association committed to promoting housing for people of all income levels and the production of quality homes. The HBASC membership is comprised of home builders, trade contractors, suppliers and industry professionals and is an affiliate of the National Association.
