Leave the Light On – Security Lighting

Proper lighting is an important component of home security. Not only does security lighting give the illusion that people are home, but it also eliminates the dark hiding places that make your home vulnerable to invasion.

There are many forms of security lighting, each with its own benefits. Automatic lighting, attached to a timer, comes on at a designated time. Many people who use automatic lights find that having the lights come on at dusk makes them feel safer when they return to their homes at night. Not only does this form of security lighting save money, but it also gives the appearance of someone coming and going. For most burglars, a well lit home poses the risk of getting caught.

Another popular form of security lighting is motion sensor lighting.  With motion sensor lighting, any movement within range of the senor triggers the lights to turn on. While this form of lighting could detect a criminal lurking around your home, it also will turn on if the neighbor’s dog passes through or if the wind is blowing too hard. Nevertheless, motion sensor lighting serves to scare off trespassers by making it appear that someone is home and has seen them.

In order to avoid unnecessary light triggers from movement, some homeowners prefer heat sensor lighting. This form of lighting only turns on when it recognizes temperatures close to human body temperature.

No matter which type of security lighting you use in your home it is important to examine the light’s brightness. Although many people feel that the brighter the lighting the safer they are,this is not always true. Very bright security lighting can make it more difficult for the human eye to see in the dark, so intruders are harder to spot if they are out of the light’s range. Your security lighting should have a low enough wattage to not ruin your night vision but still illuminate the area around your home.

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