Among the variety of measures you take to assure that your home is a safe place for you and your family and to decrease the risks of intruders entering your home while you are away, outdoor lighting is one of the most cost effective means of security you can have. As a bonus feature, the lighting you install around the exterior of your home and in your landscape design can enhance the curb appeal of your home.
Assess your situation
The best way to determine where to add outdoor lighting in order to improve your home’s security is to assess your situation at night. Start out at the street and walk up to your front door, back door and garage. Did any lights come on before you reached your destination? If not, that’s an indicator that a burglar could easily reach an entrance to your home and possibly enter your home without ever being noticed.
While you’re out there, look around your lawn to see if you can find a hiding place among the shrubbery or in between cars or exterior structures. You don’t want to provide an easy cover for would-be intruders and dark areas are an ideal hiding spot.
Motion sensor lights
Motion sensor lights are an effective way to startle and chase off an intruder. You can add these to the corners of your house, under a carport, at the end of your garage and on any storage buildings you have on your property. Not only do they function as a deterrent for intruders, they can make your walk from the car to your house much safer. You can even add motion sensor lights to a fence that encloses your patio or back yard.
Landscape lighting
Post lights or pathway lights can function as more than just a decorative feature in the landscape design. They can make the walkway and front steps safer for you and your invited guest while deterring uninvited guest from approaching your door. Uplights are often used to draw attention to certain exterior architectural features. However, that is not their only function. Uplights help illuminate your landscape and eliminate hiding places for intruders. These lights can cast shadows on the house or lawn which is not what someone wants when they’re sneaking around a house. Spot lights can have a similar affect. You can add spotlights to your landscape to highlight a shrub or impressive garden feature.
Decorative lighting
Adding a porch light to your outdoor design can be considered both a decorative feature and a security measure. Leaving it on in the evening may deter a criminal from approaching your home. Neighbors can see them as they walk up to your door, if you have a porch light on. Overgrown shrubbery, especially shrubs that are close to your house or entryway, provide an ideal hiding place for thieves. Keeping your shrubbery trimmed and adding exterior lighting in front of or behind the shrubbery will prevent it from functioning as a hiding place.
