Many homeowners install outdoor lighting systems to enhance the natural beauty of their home, but outdoor lighting systems can also be used for security. An outdoor lighting system that is centered on protecting your home from intruders can help your family feel safe. Bright lights deter crime by making it harder for thieves, vandals, and other criminals to approach your home without being seen.
In 2018, the New York Scientific Research Crime Lab team did a six-month-long study on outdoor lighting and crime rates. They found that neighborhoods and homes that had outdoor lighting were 7% less likely of being the victim of a crime than homes that did not have outdoor lighting. Overall, neighborhoods, where new outdoor lighting was installed, saw an immediate decrease in crime rates by 39%.
If you are looking for a way to protect your family, outdoor lighting may be the solution you need. Read on to learn more about outdoor lighting techniques that can help deter crime.
Why Outdoor Lighting Is Important
Outdoor lighting systems are designed to highlight the aesthetics of your home, creating a safe space for your guests and family. Unfortunately, traditional outdoor lighting systems can also highlight weaknesses in your home’s line of sight, giving criminals perfect places to hide and break in.
Thankfully, innovations in outdoor lighting have led to the investigation of security lighting. Security lighting not only looks good but is designed to better protect your home. Outdoor security lights achieve this by controlling how and when criminals see your property at night. With dusk to dawn lighting, motion-activated lighting, and lighting directed for security cameras, criminals will have a harder time making your home a target. This usually leads to them skipping your home. With a lowered crime rate, you can also expect to see a rise in your property’s value.
Popular Security Lighting Techniques
Keeping Your Lights On From Dusk Until Dawn
This technique helps deter crime by illuminating your home and yard during the darkest parts of the night. The lights that are used in the dusk to dawn lighting are extremely bright and can make it difficult for a criminal to break into your house without being seen. These lights are programmed to come on as soon as the sun sets and will turn off around dawn as the sun is coming back up. With automatic timers, you will not have to worry about turning on and off the lights yourself.
Motion Activated Lights
These lights come on the moment movement is captured by the sensor. These types of lights can shock and scare potential intruders, allowing them to think twice about coming closer. It can also help you, your family, or friends see their way to the front door when it is late, giving the perfect amount of light to make your way inside.
Directed Lighting
This technique uses a combination of security cameras and spotlights to identify criminals as they approach your home. They illuminate the area in front of your camera so that you can see an intruder clearly and catch any potential crime on videotape.
The Leading Outdoor Security Lighting Company
If you are looking to have security lighting added to your outdoor lighting system, the team at Creative Nightscapes can help! Our incredible design team can help you create a gorgeous and effective outdoor nightscape that helps keep your home and family safe. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule a consultation.
