When you’re planning about what sort of outdoor lighting to use, your primary intent is to illuminate certain areas outside in order to discourage prowlers. But don’t forget the aesthetics even though home security might be your primary concern.
Today, there are so many light designs to choose from, and these provide different levels of illumination. Installing proper outdoor lighting won’t only improve security, but this can also have a huge impact on the appearance of your home.
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Exterior and Landscape Lights
It’s but natural for you to take pride in your home because you definitely invested a lot of time and money in making it look lovely. If you have an extraordinary garden or a lush landscape, you can further enhance its beauty if you use apt exterior or landscape lights. There are so many to choose from, such as in-ground lighting, deck or stair lights, path or walkway lights, spot lights, and so much more. You can also choose more energy-saving varieties, like LED and solar lights.
When selecting what sort of lights to install, consider function as well. For example, entrances, decks, or patios should have brighter lights because a lot of activities occur in such areas. Opt for softer or more muted lights for walkways, and if you have a statue or fountain that you want to show off, use accent lighting or focal lights.
Security Lighting
Appropriately placed lights heighten the security of your property because burglars do not like well-lit areas where they can be easily seen and recognized, and where their illegal activities can be readily observed. Task lights and flood lights definitely brighten up any space. But the muted glow of pathway and decorative lights also contribute to bettering security.
One issue that many homeowners are concerned with is the amount of energy used by security and landscape lights because these have to be lit from dusk until dawn. That will certainly add to your energy bills; however, there are ways to avoid excessive power use. For example, you can have solar lights or energy-efficient LED lights. Another option is for you to purchase lights with motion sensors or alarms.
Lights with Sensors or Alarms
A huge advantage of lights equipped with movement sensors and alarms is that these do not have to be lit all night. Let’s say you have chosen to install a floodlight with sensors. When a burglar tries to get inside your property, the sensor will detect the movement, and this will trigger the light to turn on. If the device is also equipped with an alarm, then both the glaring light and shrill sound will be activated. Such features are often enough to have an intruder running in the opposite direction.
Safety
Hire a qualified electrician to install your electrical wiring system to avoid fire or electrocution incidents. Make sure that you use weatherproof lighting too so that lights won’t be prone to short circuits and other electrical accidents. Also, after heavy rains or extreme weather conditions, be sure to take a look at wire connections to ensure that these are undamaged and still intact and in place.
