Outdoor Lighting Safe And Pretty

Outdoor security lights will help keep you, your family and your home safe. It is almost an essential need in some areas, as sad as that may be.

The thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that outdoor security lights don’t work the way a lot used to think they do!

Recent studies have shown that security lights, installed poorly, actually have increased the number of crimes and prevented a lot of neighbors from even noticing a burglar.

Bright, un-shielded outdoor flood lights cause mass amounts of glare which people will not look directly at. They will not notice the crime as it’s happening because of this. More on this website
This can be remedied a bit by using outdoor spotlights, lights that shine a light only at a specific target.

If spotlights aren’t going to work for you, you can click here to learn about how you can use floodlights for security.

Security lights that remain on all night also aid criminals significantly, allowing them to see what they are doing in the dark.

The effectiveness of security lights is further reduced when people learn that, contrary to what most believe, burglaries more often occur during the day when it’s more likely people will be out of their homes!

Although security lighting can still play a vital role in keeping you safe, it is very important that when considering security lighting, you plan it very carefully. Poorly arranged lighting can make your home more vulnerable to crime.

The best kind of outdoor security lights for scaring off criminals are motion sensor lights. They will remain off until something moves in front of the sensor, then snap on, flooding the area in light. This quick jerk of light is startling and can send many would-be burglars running.

The problem is though, that some sensors are too sensitive, and every small thing will set it off. But, most motion sensors can be adjusted for sensitivity.

And again, if poorly place, can actually prevent others from seeing a crime in progress.

Nice accent lighting will probably do you more good than lights specifically for security.

But if you still think you need some security lighting, here are some things to take into consideration when choosing and placing security lighting:

Lighting should be placed up high, or in an out of the way place. This will keep people from messing with them. But you should be able to access them easily enough for when you need to replace burned out bulbs.

They also need to be in a place easy enough to get to so you can clean the bulbs periodically. The wind will blow dirt and other things onto the bulbs over time, which will severely reduce the light produced.

Decrease the amount of glare by shielding or having a full cut-off lamp housing for the bulb. This will direct the light at the ground or at the target and away from observers.

Another tip to this is not to make the light as bright as possible. A little lighting can go a long way in the dark!

You might consider using solar security lighting to reduce your electric bill.