How to Keep Your Home Windows Safe and Secure

windows
Photo courtesy of Flickr’s Alan Cleaver

One of the biggest worries for any homeowner is that someone will come into their home and take or harm the things they hold most precious. According to the most recently available statistics from the FBI, the incidence of home burglaries across the United States dropped by 3.7% last year. Even so, there are still more than 2.1 million burglaries annually.

For many, the best answer to the still staggering rates of property crimes in the U.S. is buying expensive home security systems laden with high-tech gadgetry that wouldn’t be out of place in the latest sci-fi novel. As U.S. News & World Report writes, American homeowners spend around $20 billion a year on these security systems. Here’s the thing: those systems can help you ward off criminals, but they can also break the bank. If you want a cheap way to improve the security of your home, you really ought to consider improving your windows.

Three Window Technologies That Fortify American Homes

Motion Activated Lighting

Windows make for one of the most common access points to the home. The trick to
showing would be criminals to not even try? Motion activated lighting. By placing a
series of sensors throughout the landscaping leading up to your windows and placing a
lighting strip on your window sills, you can take away burglars’ most powerful weapon:
darkness. These motion activated lights are both highly effective and affordable.

Pressure Sensitive Window Alarms
As Lifehacker highlights in a recent guide to improving home security, installing a pressure sensitive alarm on the surface of your new windows will send criminals running the second they try to jack them open to gain entry. Whether they just touch the glass or they’re trying to breakthrough, this alarm will readily alert you when there is an issue, and that means being able to call the police ASAP.

Choose Secure Replacement Windows
For MSN Real Estate, that are few better ways to improve the security of your windows than by buying secure windows from the get-go. As a general rule, any window that can open more than six-inches wide makes it easy for someone to climb through. If you’re in the market for replacement windows, ask your service if they offer any windows with built in limiters on how far they can be opened. It might seem overly simple, but it could be the difference between a safe home and one that’s ripe for the picking.

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long while yet before people stop trying to take what isn’t theirs. By implementing these simple security technologies, you can make sure you’re only gaining the Photo courtesy of Flickr’s Alan Cleaver

Health and energy benefits of your windows, without having to worry about whether or not they can be used against you.