Which Type of Lighting is Best for You?
There are many different types of flood lighting and security lighting products on the market today. The three main techniques for this type of home protection are as follows:
- Dusk to Dawn Lighting – Just as their name implies, these lights come on every night at dusk and go off every morning at dawn. They do this through sensors that respond to the sunlight. The downside to this type of security lighting is that the lights are constantly on, all night every night, thus burning a lot of electricity and bulbs. They will also stay on all day on rainy or cloudy days and, since they are always on, neighbors won’t be alerted if a burglar did decide to brave the brightly lit yard.
- Motion Activated Lighting – These flood lights stay off until a motion is detected in the area. Then, they shine brightly and are great for making a possible burglar highly visible, alerting you that someone is in the yard, and also alerting neighbors that something is amiss. These lights are much better for the power bill and offer better security in some opinions.
- Dusk to Dawn Motion Activated – This third security lighting technique is a cross between the former two where the lights come on at a dim wattage at dusk, and stay on dimly until dawn. If someone wanders into your yard, they suddenly burst out into bright light. This may be a preferred method for those who like being able to see into the yard at night but still wish to save electricity.
It’s easy to see how these different lighting techniques would make your home much safer. Everyone knows that more crimes, such as burglaries, home invasions, robberies, and attacks occur at night.
This shows that these evil-doers prefer to work in the dark. If they’re “casing” a neighborhood trying to decide which house to burglarize, they’re much less likely to choose the house that’s brightest lit. This is precisely why some people may choose technique number one.
If you’re not too worried about a home invasion and hiring a private security company is a bit out of the question, but you still want to protect the items in your front and back yards or on your porches, then you may be interested in the second or third techniques described above.
Both are excellent for “catching them in the act” so to speak. Someone who may be used to waltzing into your yard, and “borrowing” tools or other items, would definitely be caught by surprise if you’re using this method.
Any of the three lighting techniques are excellent choices for security lighting. Making the decision about which one to use is really based upon your need. No matter what type of security lighting you decide to use, you shouldn’t try to install any type of electrical additions yourself.
Talk to a licensed electrician like Conductive Electric who can come to your home and advise you as to how many, and which, extra breakers you may need in order to handle the extra wattage of these lights. A professionally licensed electrician can also give you an estimate of the cost and help you decide which method best suits your wallet, as well as your security lighting needs.
Areas we Serve: Wilmington, Newark, Pike Creek, Dover, Hockessin, Greenville, Smyrna and more.
Services we Offer: General Electrical Repairs, Service Panel Upgrades, Backup Generator Installation, Electrical Wiring & Bonding for Pools, Lighting Installation, Whole House Surge Protection, Ceiling Fan Installation and more.
