The holiday season is upon us and neighborhoods everywhere are aglow with festive lights and decorations. But as you deck the halls and prepare to hunker down for the colder months ahead, don’t forget to get your home winter-ready.

Here are 10 simple tasks to help ensure that the increased time you spend indoors is both safe and comfortable.

1. Clean your dryer vent to help prevent lint build-up that can start a house fire.
2. Insulate water pipes with foam or electrical duct tape to help protect them freezing, cracking, and spilling their contents.
3. Check all electrical cords for any sign of frayed or cracked wiring. More home fires occur during the winter months than any other time of year.
4. Clean or replace your furnace filter every 6-8 weeks, to help keep your home dust- and allergen-free.
5. Empty your kitchen cupboards and drawers and wipe down the insides with a damp cloth. Use this opportunity to toss any food items that may have expired.
6. Dust your ceiling fan blades, and set your fan to run in reverse. This helps push warm air down where you need it most while cutting back on your energy costs.
7. Vacuum behind your refrigerator and check for any signs of a water leak. A water stain on your floor or molding could indicate that water is leaked into your floorboards behind, and that can introduce problems like mold growth and floor or ceiling rot.
8. Winterize your front entry by placing a rough mat outside for wiping off snow and mud, and an absorbent one inside to soak up moisture. Consider adding a boot tray to further simplify your house cleaning regimen.
9. Check your firewood supply and restock if needed. If you use your fireplace a lot, you should have it professionally cleaned once a year to remove creosote from inside the chimney. Creosote can catch fire.
10. Keep shades and other window treatments open during the day on sun-facing walls. That allows your home to warm up while further reducing energy costs. Once dusk falls, close the window treatments to retain the added heat.

You know what else can help you prevent winter-time problems? A new or updated security system complete with video cameras and remote Wi-Fi access to them even when you’re away from home. The problems are those you can prevent. The second best are those you catch quickly and put a stop to. For more information or a free in-home consultation and proposal, contact Now Security Systems today.

Whether you headed for southern climes for a few days, a few months, or anything in between, you’ll do well to take all necessary precautions to ensure you find your home the way left it.

Before you go away, though, remember to take some simple steps to protect your home from the elements and from thieves. After all, nothing will put a quicker end to your vacation afterglow than a burst water pipe or a home break-in.

Have a neighbour pick up your mail and newspapers every day

Nothing says, “we’re gone” like an overflowing mail box or newspapers stacked up by your front door. If you don’t have a neighbor who can undertake this daily chore for you, have your mail and newspaper delivery suspended.

Put your lights on an automatic timer

What you don’t want is lights left on all day and night, or your house perpetually in the dark. So, to create just the right blend, hire an electrician to set up certain lights on an automatic timer to turn on and off at pre-determined times.

Create the look of “normal”

A friendly neighbor or relative will help you out even more by adjusting the shades, putting trash cans out and taking them back in, and maybe even parking their car in your driveway.

Protect Your Home from the Elements

Cold temperatures can be another problem for your home while you’re away. If water freezes inside a pipe, for instance, it can expand and block the pipe, increasing water pressure in the rest of the house. That can eventually cause the pipe to burst. So, before you set sail, it’s okay to lower your thermostats, but not below 55 degrees. If you’re going to be away for a long time, though, you may want to close the main water valve and drain the water out of your pipes before you go.

Also, arrange to have someone shovel your driveway or walkways as needed as one more to show your home is occupied. A shoveled and de-iced sidewalk also can help you prevent a lawsuit should a passerby accidentally slip and fall.

How’s Your Home Security System?

If yours is ancient, incomplete, or you don’t have one at all, now’s a great time to contact Now Security Systems. Not only can we protect your house against unwanted intrusion, we can provide you with an app that allows you to keep track of indoor temperatures, lighting, and more. Contact us today for more information or a free in-home consultation and proposal.

Space heaters represent a practical and affordable means to add heat to your home. But they only make sense if you observe all common-sense safety precautions, including these:    

1. Choose a space heater that features a protective guard around the heating element to help prevent accidental harm to small children and pets.
2. Look for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or comparable symbol of quality on the package. That tells you the product has been tested on rigorous conditions for your added peace of mind.
3. To avoid overheating, choose a space heater that’s the right size for your room. If it’s too small, for example, not only can it overheat, but there’s also the risk of premature failure and an electrical fire.
4. Electric space heaters don’t belong in wet or moist space, including your bathroom and possibly even your basement or garage. By taking that added precaution, you’ll help to prevent a fire or electric shock.
5. Space heaters should never be plugged into an extension cord – only directly into an outlet. Again, overheating and electrical fire are the safety hazards you’re trying to prevent.
6. It’s important to remember that space heaters warm up people and objects, not spaces. That means you should turn off a space heater each time you vacate that room.
7. Here’s one more fire prevention tip: keep your space heater well away from bedding, window treatments, clothing, and anything else that could potentially catch on fire.

We know Connecticut winters can be especially cold, but please don’t ignore personal safety as you seek to add indoor warmth this or any cold-weather season.

Is there one room in your home that is knee-knocking cold while the rest of the house is perfectly comfortable? Or perhaps you prefer your home at a pleasant 68 degrees F, while another member of your household enjoys a cozier 72?

No doubt about it: you can please some of the people some of the time, but not…well, you get the idea. That’s why a portable space heater can serve as the great equalizer, providing individualized warmth in certain rooms without needing to spike the thermostat elsewhere.

However, buying just the right space heater is a lot more challenging than even a few years ago with so many different options to choose from.  So, here are a few things to keep in mind before you start the process:

• Select a space heater that can safely, effectively, and efficiently heat the space you need. Not only will the right sized space heater help maintain a more consistent temperature, it won’t waste the kind of energy that a larger unit would.
• Look for specific safety features, such as the UL label that means the unit has met required safety standards. Also, be sure it has an auto tip-switch, as well as an overheat sensor.
• Consider a dual-wattage model if your space heater must share an outlet with another electronic device.
• Prevent burns by selecting a model that is cool to the touch when turned on. This is especially important if you have small children.
• Programmable thermostats and timers offer convenience and even greater. Not only can you program the space heater to a certain temperature, a timer allows you to lower or increase the temp, or even turn the heater on and off at certain times of day automatically.

If you’re considering a portable space heater to make up for the inadequacies of your central heating system, that’s okay in the short term.  But after a while, the extra money you spend on electricity could easily cover the cost to repair whatever might be wrong with your furnace or boiler.

Above all, use your space heaters with caution to protect family members from injury and prevent a home fire. That means, for example, keeping your space heater away from window treatment, bed coverings, clothing, and anything else flammable.

That’s another safety tip from Now Security Systems, offering the best in home security equipment and monitoring. Contact us day for a free on-site security analysis and proposal.

The pumpkins are carved, cobwebs are stretched across the front porch, and your kids’ costumes are all picked out. The only thing left is to fill your Trick or Treat bowl for all the little pirates, princesses, ghosts and ninja turtles that will soon be ringing your doorbell.

But before you fill your shopping cart with those super-sized bags of candy and chocolate, read on for 9 fun and inexpensive alternatives to standard Trick or Treat loot. Whether you have kids with food allergies, or simply want to switch it up a little this Halloween, these treats are sure to please at least the other kids’ parents.

1. Glow sticks and bracelets are always a hit with young children. Plus, they come in handy during after-daylight Trick-or-Treating.
2. From plastic spiders to eyeballs, small Halloween themed toys can be found just about anywhere. Best of all, they won’t break the bank.
3. Temporary tattoos in skull, bat, witch, or pumpkin designs never go out of style. Even adults can’t always resist them.
4. Mini Play-Doh tubs are just the right size for Halloween.
5. Have a local farm nearby? Grab some honey sticks for a sweet, all-natural treat.
6. Want to mix it up with some candy? Look for organic, simple ingredient candy options like UNREAL.
7. Fake mustaches and disguise glasses make great, inexpensive Halloween treats and can be found at your local craft store.
8. Throw in those ever-popular childhood favorites like yo-yos, mini slinkies, and silly putty.
9. Or, add a little music to Halloween with kazoos and slide whistles.

Here at Now Security Systems, we hope you and your kids have a safe and fun Halloween, whatever your plans might be. And, for improved year-round security for your home and family, be sure to contact Now Security Systems.

Habits are often difficult to form, but even more difficult to break. Especially if it’s one that makes you comfortable or happy – like that midnight craving for chocolate cake that isn’t such a smart idea, but then, there’s always tomorrow! Bad habits, as you know, can be bad not just for your waist-line, but bottom-line, health, productivity, and more.

Here are 5 home-owner habits you should consider breaking now – as appropriate – to help keep your home in top-top shape and keep more money in your pocket.

1. Showering Without Limits – Standing in a steamy shower might be a great way to let all the day’s stress melt away, but doing so without proper ventilation can encourage mold and mildew growth. Always run the exhaust fan while bathing or showering, or crack open a window, squeegee the walls when you’re done, and thoroughly scrub tile grout every month or as needed.
2. Shutting Out the Sun – During the winter months, we tend to look for ways to reduce our heating costs. But shutting your shades or draperies isn’t one of them. A sunny window can warm your home and significantly lower your heating costs. The time to close your window treatments is after the sun goes down to help retain much of the heat you gained during the day.
3. Loving a Bargain Too Much – While shopping around for a deal is a great way to save money, being too thrifty can hurt you in the long run. When hiring contractors for work in and around your home, don’t necessarily go with the cheapest quote. Whoever you hire, make sure they account for all materials and permits needed. Always check that they are licensed and insured, as needed, so you and your home are protected should something go wrong. Also, ask for references from previous customers and check out their online reviews.
4. Running on Half-Empty – It’s common practice in Connecticut homes to run the dishwasher before going to bed and to empty it the next morning. The question is, are you using that dishwasher to its full potential? You see, whether you wash 2 dishes or twenty, most dishwashers use the same amount of water and energy to clean them. So, before you hit that start button, make sure it’s completely full.
5. Jumping into Demo Mode – If you’ve just moved into your home or are about to undertake a remodeling project, you might be tempted to break out the sledgehammer and start renovations right away. Experience shows, however, that you’re far less likely to make mistakes and incur cost overruns if you take your time carefully planning out the project in advance. And that’s especially true if you plan to employ outside assistance for one or more aspects of the project.

Speaking of planning and not always going with the lowest bid, the same holds true when it comes choosing a home security company. For example, the best deal in the world on equipment won’t do you any good if the provider offers a substandard level of monitoring services. To help ensure your family’s safety, we invite you to allow us the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities, including our own on-premises monitoring center. Contact Now Security Systems today to request a free and no-obligation in-home security consultation.