For a lot of property types, having outdoor security lighting can serve as a good deterrent against crime, can provide peace of mind, and can also work alongside other security measures such as CCTV to make them more effective (after all, it is easier to record what is going on outside your property if it isn’t dark!). It is, therefore, a very good idea to think about how security lights could be used on your premises to increase your home security.
However, the decisions you make in terms of where lights are placed, how they are triggered, and how bright they are can all have an impact on how effective your security light solution will prove to be, and so it is best to put some serious thought into your lighting before buying it.
Here are some of the things you will need to think about:
Do Your Lights Need to Work as General Outdoor Lights as Well as Security Lights?
You may have some outdoor parts to your property where you only need lighting for security, for instance, a tool shed. For these areas, you may simply want a motion-controlled light that is functional at letting you see what is happening there if there is unexpected movement. For other areas, though, such as a patio, driveway or outdoor pool area, you may want your lighting to serve two purposes – security lighting when you are not using the area, and normal outdoor floodlighting if you want to use that area after dark.
It is perfectly feasible for outdoor lights to be set up as both normal outdoor lighting and security lighting, but generally, when you want to use a light for both things you will want to put a bit more thought into how it looks and where it is positioned.
This is something that professionals could help you establish. The company Pascoe’s electrical for instance can do a consultation for security lights – they don’t charge a call out fee so if you’re in the area they serve, it may be one to consider.
Power and Maintenance
In the past, it could be quite a concern how power hungry powerful outdoor floodlights could be, and it could also end up being a headache of a job to replace outdoor bulbs when they blew. These days, though, there are cost-effective solutions that use LED, and LED should definitely be your first choice when picking out the lights themselves for your security lighting solution. LED is kinder to the environment and to your energy bills by using dramatically less energy to provide bright floodlighting, and the lifespans of LED bulbs tend to include decades of normal use, and so worrying about replacing bulbs in awkward outdoor spots becomes less of an issue.
Of course, LEDs come in even more different designs and brightness settings than conventional outdoor lighting, and so you will need to do your research and plan what kind of voltage and what colour or temperature of light you want your security lights and any other outdoor floodlights to provide.
The Goals of Your Security Lighting
Another thing you will need to plan and talk to your consultant about if you make an appointment with an electrician is what your lights need to actually do. If you want to illuminate the area around your front door, for instance, so that you can see when someone is outside if it is after dark, then this is something to consider. If your lights need to work alongside a camera solution, then the areas of coverage and the angles of the cameras will also need to be properly planned out to actually get those benefits. You may also want to think about what the lights should be picking up.
If you want to be able to identify wild animals coming onto your property and causing damage, for instance, then the parts of your property the lights need to illuminate may be different to if you just want to light up points of entry to provide security against intruders.
You may also want your security lights to do things like automatically light up your driveway to make it easier for you yourself when you drive home after dark, and this will be another thing that you will need to factor in when you are planning out where to place lights and the range of any sensors.
As you can see, the more you think about your lighting solution before you buy it or have it installed, the more effective you can make it, and the more it can do to provide you with not only security but also convenience. If you don’t know where to get started in choosing lights or planning a security set up, then it is always worth talking to specialists like Pascoe’s.
