(ARA) – The arrival of winter and daylight saving time means more of us will be getting up – and coming home – in the dark. The short, dark days of cool weather are a smart time to think about home safety and security.
A home break-in occurs every 14.6 seconds, according to the FBI. The good news is that simple, inexpensive do-it-yourself projects can help to better protect your home and loved ones. From improving lighting to installing a wireless home security system, many safety-focused projects are easy and cost effective to accomplish.
To brighten your outlook – and sense of security – during winter’s dark days, here are a few safety projects to consider:
Install a home security system
Long gone are the days when you had to rely on a professional security company to install a security system in your home. Now, products like the GE Choice Alert Wireless Home Security System make it simple for homeowners to install a system on their own. The system includes a control center, window/door sensor kit, garage door sensor, indoor/outdoor motion sensor, security sign with yard stake and matching window stickers. Because you monitor the system yourself, there’s no monthly fee for a security service, and you can add additional sensors and features as your security needs change overtime.
If you’re a bit more DIY-savvy, you could opt for the Schlage LiNK system, available at Lowe’s, which allows you to monitor and control door locks, lights and a camera all from a computer or cell phone. The system will send you e-mail updates so you know who is home. You can lock or unlock doors remotely, and monitor the camera from your cell phone to see what’s going on inside your house.
If you decide to install a security system, check with your insurance agent or company; the system may qualify you for a discount on your homeowner’s insurance.
Light up the darkness
More hours of darkness could mean more opportunities for burglars, and more risk for you or a loved one to suffer an injury in dark areas around your home. If you arrive home after dark every night, use outdoor light timers to turn lights on both inside and outside your home. A screw-in dusk-to-dawn control allows you to convert a traditional light or lamp post into a light that turns on at dusk and off at dawn.
Exterior lights should illuminate all entry points of your home; a dark doorway could be an invitation indoors. Every entrance of your home should be lit with at least one type of security light.
Consider placing motion-activated lights, which only come on when they detect motion, at the side, front and back entries of your home, on a detached garage, storage building, gate or garage door. For a little extra light, make sure you have plenty of light inside your house as well.
With more hours of darkness, you’ll need to use more electricity, so consider saving money by replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-sipping compact fluorescent light bulbs CFLs. Energy Star-rated CFLs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs. Placing CFLs in just five of your home’s more commonly used light fixtures could save you up to $70 a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Safety for all ages
Winter often sees plenty of guests, delivery people and repairmen coming to your home. Consider ways to make your house safer for all ages that enter it.
If you’ll be having very young guests, a childproofing kit can help ensure grandchildren, nieces and nephews, or even your own kids, won’t be able to open doors, cabinets or drawers that might get them in trouble. Prevent small hands from opening hot oven doors with heat-resistant oven locks. Hide wires and cables with a cord channel so that children won’t be tempted to play, and adults won’t trip. Consider updating your electrical outlets with tamper-resistant ones that help keep out foreign objects by requiring equal pressure on each side of the electrical cord in order to operate.
Don’t overlook the role good health plays in security. Consider improving your indoor air quality with a purifier in guest rooms. Add grab bars in bathrooms, and make sure your home’s smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are all in good working order; replace them if they’re not.
With a few simple home improvements, you can save money, feel more secure and brighten the dark days of winter for your whole family.
