shutterstock_217558792No matter what kind of home or apartment you are living in, safety improvements can always be made. This applies if you are moving into a new house or apartment, as well as if you’ve been living in the same one for generations. It even applies if you are living in a newly built apartment or house. Take a look around to check out what kind of safety improvements can be made.

Many of these safety improvements can lead to energy efficiency improvements as well. So if you’re dealing with one or the other, why not do both while you’re at it? Let’s look at some ways you can improve your home’s safety and energy efficiency.

Bathroom Everyone says that the bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house -- and that’s because it’s true. People can easily slip and fall in a bathroom. This is because of the hard surfaces and small space combined with the moisture typically found in a bathroom.

Plenty of simple things can improve the safety of your bathroom. First of all, make sure grab bars are installed, especially outside of the tub as people are getting in or out. The wet, slippery tub can make things dangerous for a lot of individuals, and grab bars (instead of unstable towel racks, for example) are very useful.

A sliding glass door in your shower is also more dangerous than a shower curtain. Using a shower curtain instead has the double purpose of allowing more even dispersal of heat around the room, thus saving you some money.

The Kitchen Kitchens can also be a tricky room in terms of safety for the young, old, and everyone in between. The handles on your cabinets should be very easy to grab and hold onto without too much trouble, and buying newer models of an oven or a stove can make a difference in both safety and energy efficiency. If you buy a new refrigerator, for example, it will likely have a feature of power save mode that goes on when it’s opened up.

Also be sure to check underneath your sink in the kitchen for any leaks in the plumbing, as it could be a safety hazard what with mold or mildew. Additionally, a leak in the plumbing would mean that your water is being consumed at a faster rate but is being wasted -- for that reason, it’s doubly important to have effective, reliable, newly checked plumbing.

Lighting In any room of the house, lighting can make a big difference in energy efficiency and safety. Every room should have an adequate amount of light so that your eyesight isn’t straining, making sure they are CFL light bulbs rather than incandescent ones. CFLs use far less energy than other light bulbs, and they will be bright enough to allow for safety in your home. Be sure you also have a flashlight somewhere readily available in case of a power outage.