It is thought that there are about 36 million security systems installed in the US, and of this number, half are in homes. The revenue generated by the industry as a whole is approaching $30 billion. A lot of people think their homes are safe against burglars. This may be true if the police response times were better.
It has been reported in various home security reviews magazines that in big cities, such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta, police response time is up to 45 minutes, however, in smaller cities the response time is marginally better, it is about eight minutes. Regardless of whether the home security system is installed in a big city or small, chances of nabbing the thief are small.
So, is a home security system worth having? When the systems are thoroughly investigated, the consensus is, yes they are. It so turns out that many people are installing the systems to get features which are beyond the scope of eliminating burglaries, things like fire alarms and the ability to see what is going on in the home.
When the system is looked at strictly as an exercise in economics, things begin to look different. The average home insurance premium will be discounted by 20% if an alarm system is installed. The average savings that a homeowner in the US can expect is $225.00. Statistically, a home that is protected can expect a loss to a thief of $3,300 compared to $5,300 in a home that is not protected. This is a difference of $2,000. When added to the savings from the insurance, one can expect a savings of $2,225 in the event they suffer from a break-in. If the monitoring service costs $100 a month, that is a net savings of over $1,000 a year.
The same survey showed that in neighborhoods where a large percentage of the homes were protected with a security system, the incidence of robbery decreased in direct proportion to the increase in alarm density. Nothing is perfect, but a home security system has benefits that go beyond eliminating theft, it provides peace of mind.
It has been reported in various home security reviews magazines that in big cities, such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta, police response time is up to 45 minutes, however, in smaller cities the response time is marginally better, it is about eight minutes. Regardless of whether the home security system is installed in a big city or small, chances of nabbing the thief are small.
So, is a home security system worth having? When the systems are thoroughly investigated, the consensus is, yes they are. It so turns out that many people are installing the systems to get features which are beyond the scope of eliminating burglaries, things like fire alarms and the ability to see what is going on in the home.
When the system is looked at strictly as an exercise in economics, things begin to look different. The average home insurance premium will be discounted by 20% if an alarm system is installed. The average savings that a homeowner in the US can expect is $225.00. Statistically, a home that is protected can expect a loss to a thief of $3,300 compared to $5,300 in a home that is not protected. This is a difference of $2,000. When added to the savings from the insurance, one can expect a savings of $2,225 in the event they suffer from a break-in. If the monitoring service costs $100 a month, that is a net savings of over $1,000 a year.
The same survey showed that in neighborhoods where a large percentage of the homes were protected with a security system, the incidence of robbery decreased in direct proportion to the increase in alarm density. Nothing is perfect, but a home security system has benefits that go beyond eliminating theft, it provides peace of mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment