For most homeowners, protecting their homes is easy considering the amount of options available when it comes to home security equipment. But for those like you who advocate eco-friendly ways, their options may not be so abundant. You have to find green ways to secure your home in order not to consume so much energy. True, this concern may narrow down your options but these will allow you to secure your house and still conform to your green standards.


So if you’re aiming to secure your home before going on a long trip or if you just want to provide daily protection for your house, consider these effective ways to green and secure your home.

1. Give the Appearance of Security

If your home doesn’t have a security system yet, or if you’re still hesitating to have one installed, the most you can do for now is to create the illusion that your home actually has a system in store. There are dummy security cameras that you can put above walls and windows to make intruders think that they are being watched. If you don’t have access to a dummy camera yet, you can just put a sign or sticker in your yard or front door indicating that your home is protected by a security system. Bluffing is not the most effective way to ward off criminals but it may come in handy if your home is not equipped with anything just yet.

2. Secure doors and windows

Good old fashioned locks, bolts, and bars can provide adequate protection for your home if installed correctly.

According to statistics, 30% of burglars were able to access homes through open or unlocked doors and windows. This is something you have to seriously consider when you have children in the house. Kids can leave doors and windows unlocked anytime. Making sure that the kids won’t be able to open doors and windows without adult supervision can help ensure child safety in your home.

If you’re investing in locks as the primary safety tool for your house, make sure to buy high quality ones. Adding a few dollars for tried and tested locks is a small price to pay for home safety.

In addition to locks, you can place a wooden or steel bar across doors for additional home security, which should help immensely when you’re indoors and you have to lock doors and windows from the inside.

3. Find a neighbor you can trust

Being friends with the neighbors has numerous benefits. When you have to stay away for several days and you don’t have friends and family members to watch the house for you, then your neighbor is your next best choice. This is very useful especially if this neighbor lives right across your house and can see everything going on in your area. You can ask him to look at the house through the window every now and then or if you’re already close neighbors, you can ask him to stroll over to your yard and just check the perimeter for anything unusual.

4. Use a smart home alarm system

True, a smart home alarm system makes use of electricity and energy in order to function but what’s eco-friendly about it is that it gives you control on the lights, electronics, and thermostat in your home. You can remotely turn the lights on to make outsiders think that your house is not empty, which should discourage intruders from messing with your home. This remote access allows you to turn the lights on and off anytime you wish. For good measure, you can also turn on your TV or radio - the additional sounds will make it more convincing for others to think that there’s somebody home.

5. Solar-powered motion sensors

This is great especially for those in sunny climates. Just let the sunshine power up the sensors during daytime and you’re ready to use the system even during night time. Even if you use non-solar sensors, you can still save energy because the lights only go on when the system detects motion in its area of scope. This is definitely better than leaving the lights on before you go off somewhere and letting it shine from dusk till dawn; this can actually give away the fact that there’s nobody in the house.

6. Clean up your yard

Your yard may be filled with junk big enough to hide a potential intruder. It’s time to get rid of them for safety’s sake. If it’s not possible to trash them all together, you can at least arrange them in such a way that it wouldn’t prevent you from viewing your entire yard. If you have a garden with overgrown shrubs, now is the time to get your shears and do some pruning.
 

7. Don’t inform everyone that you’re going away

Except for trusted friends and relatives, you shouldn’t broadcast the fact that you will be away from home for a long period of time. Don’t even post it on Facebook, please. You’ll never know who will use that information and take the chance to break in your home. While you’re at it, make sure that the greeting on your answering machine will not give you away. Also, do not leave notes on your door or gate for delivery people telling them that you won’t be home soon.

You do not have to forgo home security just because you refuse to use up more energy than necessary in your household. There are ways to make your home safe and green at the same time so you can protect your home without adding substantially to your carbon footprint.