Tag Archive for: summer

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Save More with Alarm.com’s ENERGY STAR® Certified Smart Thermostat

Upgrade your home with an Alarm.com Smart Thermostat this fall, and you can save between 9 and 16 percent of the energy you’d normally use to heat your house this winter.

That’s according to the rigorous, independent tests required by the Environmental Protection Agency for its ENERGY STAR® certification, which the Alarm.com Smart Thermostat earned this month.

And, next summer, you can be even more energy-efficient, saving between 15 and 23 of the energy it normally takes to cool your house.

With the average home’s heating and cooling costing $900 per year, that’s a substantial opportunity to save energy and money without having to be uncomfortable.

How our Smart Thermostat makes savings easy

Connected to every device and activity sensor in your smart home security system, and powered by cloud intelligence, our smart thermostat proactively spots opportunities to save energy when you don’t need it. Here’s a quick video explainer.

How our Smart Thermostat keeps you more comfortable

With remote temperature sensors installed in different rooms, our smart thermostat can optimize your home’s temperature for any room of your choosing. You can easily correct a room that’s too hot, make sure that the nursery is just right at naptime, and create custom comfort schedules targeted to the rooms you use throughout the day.

Read more: Four Ways to Use an Alarm.com Smart Thermostat

How do I get an Alarm.com Smart Thermostat?

Getting an Alarm.com Smart Thermostat is easy. If you already have smart home security, just ask Brinton Security about upgrading your existing thermostat.

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Know These Five Facts for a Safer Summer at Home

It’s the season to get outside, take a break from the pressures of life, and enjoy your home and family.

As you make the most of the weather, however, be aware of a few seasonal safety issues that summer can bring. Look out for these five dangers and don’t let them cloud your summer.

1: Burglaries increase by up to 11 percent in summer

Between longer daylight hours, homeowners going on holiday and more people being outside, summer is a burglar’s favorite season. Research by the DoJ confirms that you’re most likely to be burgled or have something stolen from outside your home during the summer months.

Summer Safety Burglary.png

2: Home playground equipment is a factor in 200,000 injuries every year.

While kids are remarkable in their ability to dust off a bump or a bruise, home playground equipment can pose more serious dangers. Take these steps to ensure that things stay fun around your playhouse, swingset or trampoline.

  • Give your outdoor play equipment an annual inspection. Check for sharp edges, loose bolts, platforms or guardrails, and clear any tripping hazards.
  • Most injuries occur from falls to the ground. Consider installing mulch or rubber mats around your play equipment to lessen the impact of a fall.
  • Always keep an eye on small children using outdoor play equipment. If your kids like to slip outside without asking you, a contact sensor on your back door is a wise idea.

3: 48% of swimming pool injuries occur at residential locations

Your pool is a huge source of summer fun, but it comes with new opportunities for kids to slip, trip, or worse. To enjoy your pool safely, think like a lifeguard (a whistle is optional) and set some rules.

Summer Safety Pool

  • Learn pool safety together and enforce it. Make sure that kids have proper floating devices if they’re new to swimming. And always ensure that a supervising adult is present when children are in the pool.
  • To avoid slips and falls on wet surfaces, teach your kids not to run and chase each other around the pool.
  • Set ground rules that specify when your pool is off-limits. A fence and gate are essential to keep kids out when you’re not there. For extra awareness, attach a contact sensor to get an alert if the gate is opened. Alarm.com’s smarter video alerts can also help.

4: One-third of burglaries don’t require a break-in.

Not all burglaries are carefully targeted and planned. Many are crimes of opportunity. And there’s no opportunity like an open garage, door or window. As you enjoy your outdoor space, be careful what you leave open.

A good security system is your best friend in preventing unlawful entry. Here’s what to look for when you shop for one:

  • A connected garage door opener, controlled from your phone, makes it easy to lock up behind you.
  • Geo-services technology can send you an alert if you leave home with your front door or garage unsecured.

5: Grills cause more than 10,000 house fires every year

You can laugh off most cooking disasters, but not this one. Always grill at a safe distance from your home, its roof eaves, deck railings and any overhanging branches.

Summer Safety Grilling.png

  • If you grill with propane, check the gas tank hose for leaks once a year by applying soapy water. If you see bubbles, get your grill serviced.
  • If you use charcoal, invest in a chimney starter. Never apply charcoal fluid to a grill that’s already lit, and let your coals cool overnight before you dispose of them.
  • Don’t leave your grill unattended, and keep children and pets away from it. Last year, 19,000 people went to the hospital for injuries involving a grill.
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Use Home Security to Prepare Your Home for Summer Vacation

Getting away for the summer means making a lot of exciting plans for accommodations. In the fun of planning your summer vacation, do not forget to make some accommodations for keeping your home safe and secure while you are away. Nothing can spoil your vacation more than getting a call from neighbors saying your home has been broken in to, or coming home to find that your life has just been changed forever. Burglaries are no joke, and can spoil much more than your vacation.

The best way to ensure you have a happy, stress-free vacation is to do all that you can to ward off burglars and other criminals while you are away. Here are some ways to use your smart home security system to do just that.

Use Home Automation Scenes to Look Home

With smart home automation, the home never has to look unoccupied. Set different scenes to replicate varied activity in the home, with the lights, electronics and even air conditioning going off and on throughout the day.  This is a huge deterrence since burglars look for homes that show no signs of the residents being home in order to avoid being caught.

Set Up Alert for Smart Sensors

Your motion and glass break sensors are a huge plus when protecting your home while on vacation. By setting up alerts, you and the authorities can know immediately if anything is amiss. The motion sensor in you video doorbell can alert you to activity at the front door, which is the primary point of entry for burglars, and allow you to see who is there or the garage door opening unexpectedly could cause you to check video surveillance footage to verify activity and catch a criminal in the act. For example. \

Use Smart Locks

If you are gone or any length of time, you will probably have neighbors or others over to the house to bring in mail or attend to pets. Instead of having keys floating around, use smart locks which you can open remotely.

Have and Use Interior and Exterior Video Surveillance

Visible proof of home security and video surveillance is one of the best deterrents against crime, and having it provides the homeowner with an incredible tool for keeping their home safe while they are on vacation. Tap in to video footage any time to keep things in check and whenever you receive an alert you can act on the security threat immediately.

About Brinton Security

Brinton Security Services has been dedicated to “Protecting What Matters” since 2001 and provides residential can commercial services in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

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