Many house insurance policies offer discounts for installing a home security alarm in your house. The size of the discount may depend on a few factors, such as the type of alarm system and whether or not it is monitored. It's worth checking with your home insurance agent before deciding on an alarm system.

It's probably obvious why these discounts are offered - if your house is protected by an alarm, it's a lot less likely the insurance company will have to pay you for theft or break-ins.

Some home security companies will do a thorough assessment of your home to see what areas are most vulnerable, and what type of system is best. Once you go ahead with their recommendations, they will issue a discount certificate to your insurance company to verify what has been installed.

This certificate lets the insurance company know exactly what type of equipment and services you are signed up for, and they can offer the appropriate discount.

The alarm system is not necessarily the only component that gets you a discount, though. In some cases, upgrading your locks might even apply for an insurance discount.

Other equipment such as fire & smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors may also qualify you for insurance discounts.

Whether you've been dealing with the same insurance company for years or are looking for a new one, it pays to talk to them about what discounts are available. They'll be able to give you advice about what you can do to lower your insurance costs, while keeping your home and valuables better protected at the same time.

And if you already have an alarm system installed in your home, you might already qualify for those discounts, even if you've never taken advantage of them in the past.

It's worth the few minutes to talk to your insurance agent - you just might end up saving enough to pay for the monthly security monitoring or other ongoing fees!

John Lenaghan writes about home security equipment and other security-related topics on the Home Security Guide website. For more information visit http://www.home-security-guide.com