From Guest Blogger Chelsea McCary: How to Keep Your Family Safe While Being Green — Energy Efficient Home Security Systems

Keeping your home safe is of utmost importance, but it might seem like the options for environmentally-friendly security are limited. After all, bringing more electronics into the house seems like the opposite of living a greener lifestyle. Still, you have to remember how serious burglary stats can be. According to the FBI, over 2 million burglaries happen annually in the United States, and more than 70 percent of them are committed in residential houses. The average loss from a home burglary? Around $2,100. The good news is that security systems are increasingly geared towards saving energy, and there may be a lot more ideas than you think for ways to secure your home without increasing your carbon footprint.

1. LED Technology

Old-fashioned lamps and security cameras can be a huge waste of energy, but even the most powerful LED units consume less than 100 watts, making LED the leader in low energy consumption. They start up immediately, with no warm up needed, making them perfect for motion-detector lights which only illuminate when movement is detected, saving you even more money and power. And if you have security cameras, LED screens make a big difference to how much energy is consumed. Making sure your system uses LED and not halogen or incandescent lighting is pretty much the biggest step you can take to going green with home security. Those lights waste 85 to 90 percent of energy they consume, making them hugely inefficient. By contrast, LED offers the best quality images on your cameras and technology that lasts up to 100,000 hours.

2. The Advantages of Wireless

These days, all security systems are becoming wireless. Not only are these systems much more economical and easier to manage, they also consume much less energy. They run on their own powerful battery instead of draining the power grid of your house, and no installation worker has to drill holes in your walls or waste time running wires. A lithium battery installed in your security system should last up to 5 years. And since they use sensors and one central device, you need far fewer electronics to cover your entire property. Smaller systems mean easier repairs, upgrades, and modifications, which has a definite impact on how much energy you’re consuming. And because technology has improved, there’s no longer any threat that wireless systems are prone to interference from radio frequencies, so they’re also the best way to really provide security. The security system can alert you by phone, text, or email when your home is being entered, and alerting the police has never been faster.

3. Environmental Monitoring and Controls

Modern day security systems do a lot more than provide alarms. You can use many of them to keep track of the temperature in your house, check for water damage or gas leaks, and report any inconsistency with your home’s usual environment. Your system can be personalized to your individual needs, preventing fire and flood and the damage to your property and the environment that comes with it. Not only that, if you forget to turn off the heating or cooling systems in your home, you’ll be able to fix the problem from your desk. Even the most environmentally-conscious homeowner can’t prevent the occasional crisis, such as leaving the stove on or a frozen pipe bursting. By letting your security system notify you of temperature changes remotely, you can prevent a myriad of problems.

4. Recycled Materials

A new trend for the future of home security is using recycled metals, minerals, and electronic components to construct security systems. Multiple carriers have initiated a policy of using recycled materials whenever possible, which can make you feel good about protecting your home. Even if they don’t offer devices entirely constructed from recycled parts, they may offer repairable components or replacement items that come from older, outdated systems but can easily be re-used. Security companies know that environmental factors are a huge consideration for many families, and they’re committed to doing their part to help you stay green while preventing home break ins.

Security systems are more of a necessity today than ever before, especially if you live in a nice neighborhood and have valuables you’d like to protect. But luckily, security technology has advanced to the point where clunky alarm systems with multiple wires are a thing of the past. Clean, safe, reliable security can help you feel safe whether you’re going on vacation or simply going to work. And you don’t have to give up your commitment to the environment to achieve that safety.

Chelsea McCary is an avid blogger. You can follow her at @ChelseaMcCary.