Outside Lighting Adds Safety, Security To Home
With daylight hours getting shorter, we’d all like to add some more lighting to the outsides of our houses. What’s the best kind for safety and security without spending too much money?
Outdoor lighting can improve visibility at night, but there is no simple “best” method for doing so. Incandescent, fluorescent, and high-intensity lighting sources all have their place. The trick is knowing how to use them to achieve the greatest benefits at least expense. For safety and security, the goal is to light areas softly and evenly so that anyone entering or leaving the area can be clearly seen and your family and guests can find their way safely.
Start at your front door. Bright lights, especially bare bulbs, can create glare and cast shadows making it impossible to identify who is at the door. For efficiency, consider replacing that incandescent bulb with a screw-in compact fluorescent. A 20-watt compact fluorescent produces the same amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent but uses only 20 watts of electricity (cost: less than $20 per bulb). If you can’t find a screw-in model that fits your existing fixture, consider replacing your fixture with one designed for compact fluorescents (cost: less than $50, excluding installation). Make sure the compact fluorescent is rated to operate at winter temperatures in your area.
Timers and photocell controls can help make sure your porch light is not on during the day. Be sure these controls are compatible with fluorescent lighting. Floodlights with built-in photocell and motion sensors, typically mounted on the outside of your home or garage, work well for both security and convenience. When someone approaches, they automatically switch on. After a set time delay, they turn themselves off. By adjusting the sensitivity of the unit, you can generally eliminate any false triggering by small animals.
Halogen flood lamps are the most efficient for this purpose and come in a range of wattages and beam spreads to suit your needs. Don’t aim these lights so they blind your neighbors (cost: less than $50, excluding installation, for motion sensor/socket mounting assembly plus two halogen flood lamps).
What about lighting areas continuously throughout the night? Decide first what areas really need light and for what purpose. Most outdoor lighting can be turned off before going to bed. Consider that darkness may offer better security than excessive glare and shadows that may actually conceal prowlers while providing light for them to see.
For lighting large areas, such as outbuildings, consider using energy-efficient, high-intensity discharge lighting. This category of lights includes mercury vapor, high pressure sodium, and metal halide sources (cost: $35 to $100 per fixture with lamp, excluding installation).
Though bulbs can be expensive, they are all rated for more than 20,000 hours and save you the bother of frequent replacement. Fixtures complete with photocells offer automatic “dusk-to-dawn” operation. Mercury vapor yard lights are not recommended because they aren’t very energy efficient. Sodium or metal halide fixtures with better shielding to control the direction of light provide a much more comfortable and safely lighted environment at a lower operating cost.
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