Yes, a smart home security system can be eco-friendly. The biggest gains come from three choices: how the devices are powered, how long the equipment stays in service, and whether the security system talks to your lights, thermostat and water sensors so the house uses less energy when nobody is home. The security hardware itself draws very little power, so most of the savings come from what it lets the rest of the house do.
This guide covers the choices that make a real difference.
How much energy does a security system use?
Less than most people expect. Door and window sensors, motion detectors and glass-break sensors sip power, and many run for years on a small lithium battery. The alarm panel and its backup battery draw a small, steady load. Cameras use the most, especially models with infrared night vision and heaters for cold weather, and a recorder that runs hard drives around the clock adds a bit more.
The bigger environmental issues are waste (batteries, short-lived devices, equipment that gets thrown out when an app stops working) and what the system can switch off for you.
Powering cameras and sensors
Wired cameras with Power over Ethernet
A wired camera that runs on Power over Ethernet (PoE) gets power and data through one network cable from a switch in your equipment rack. There are no batteries to charge or replace, and if that switch sits on a battery backup, your cameras keep recording through a short power outage. For a home you plan to stay in, this is usually the lowest-waste option over the life of the system.
Solar and battery cameras
Several consumer camera brands sell battery cameras with a small solar panel that tops up the battery. They make sense for a detached barn, a long driveway gate or a dock where running a cable is hard. In New England the short winter days and snow cover limit what a small panel can collect, so expect to charge the battery by hand now and then from December through February. The batteries also wear out after a few years, which adds to e-waste.
Wired versus wireless sensors
Hardwired door contacts and motion detectors need no batteries at all and can last for decades. Wireless sensors are easier to add to a finished house, and a good one runs for several years on a single cell. Low-power radio protocols such as Z-Wave and Zigbee use far less power than Wi-Fi, which is why battery sensors are built on them. When batteries do run out, recycle them through a drop-off program instead of the trash.
Keeping equipment in service longer
The greenest device is the one you don’t have to replace. A few habits help:
- Reuse what is already in the walls. Many older homes have hardwired door contacts and motion detectors from a previous alarm. A new panel can usually take over those sensors, so they stay in place instead of going to a landfill.
- Pick manufacturers with a track record of firmware updates. A camera that stops getting updates becomes a security risk and ends up replaced early.
- Avoid systems that only work with one cloud app. If the company changes its plans, the hardware can stop working. Equipment that records locally and connects to a whole-home control system tends to have a longer useful life.
- Buy the right camera once. A camera with the correct lens and resolution for the spot saves you from adding a second one later.
Local recording or cloud storage?
Cloud cameras send every clip over your internet connection to a data center and usually come with a monthly storage plan per camera. A network video recorder (NVR) in your home keeps footage in the house, cuts the upload traffic and avoids the subscription. You can still view live and recorded video from your phone. For a home with more than a few cameras, local recording is usually simpler and cheaper to run.
Letting security save energy in the rest of the house
When your alarm is connected to a home automation system such as Control4, Savant or Lutron, arming the system can do much more than lock the doors.
- Arming in Away mode can turn off every light in the house and set the thermostats back. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Saver guidance says you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day.
- Motion-activated exterior lights can replace floodlights that burn from dusk to dawn. The lights come on only when someone walks up.
- Lutron occupancy and vacancy sensors turn off lights in rooms that are empty, and the same sensors can feed information to the security system.
- Motorized shades can close on hot summer afternoons and open on sunny winter days while you are away, which helps the heating and cooling system.
- Water leak sensors connected to an automatic shutoff valve can stop a burst pipe within minutes. That saves water and the materials that go into rebuilding a flooded basement.
For more on how the alarm, locks, cameras and automation work together, see our guide to integrating smart security with home automation.
What to look for in an eco-friendly security system
- Wired PoE cameras where you can run cable, and solar or battery cameras only where you can’t.
- Battery sensors on low-power protocols with multi-year battery life.
- A panel that can reuse your existing hardwired sensors.
- Local recording to an NVR instead of a cloud plan for every camera.
- Integration with lighting, thermostats, shades and leak sensors so arming the system also saves energy.
- Equipment from manufacturers that keep releasing firmware updates.
Where you put the cameras matters as much as which ones you buy. Our guide to security camera placement covers that.
Planning a home security project?
We design and install security systems that tie into lighting, shades and climate control for homes across Greater Boston, the South Shore and Rhode Island. Book a free consultation or read more about our home security systems.
