Did you know that landscape lighting can be
security lighting as well?
There are three primary reasons that most people want outdoor lighting. The added beauty that outdoor lighting provides; the safety to move around the property with enough properly placed lighting to avoid injury; and the security that exists with outdoor lighting as a deterrent against any criminal element. The outstanding thing about a well-designed outdoor lighting system is that you can have all three at the same time.
On the night of November 6, 2015 Judge Julie Kocurek was shot as she was trying to enter her gated property. It appears to have been an ambush really. Someone had placed a trash bag in front of the gate to their driveway. When her son got out of the car to move it, someone strode up to her car and shot. I read in the Austin American Statesman newspaper that a neighbor said that she heard shots, but when she looked out — she couldn’t see anything because it was “pitch black” outside.
I really can’t stand fear mongering, and I don’t want to play on public anxiety, but much is written about the fact that outdoor lighting helps to deter crime. Also, if you do have some outdoor lighting on your property, maybe your neighbor can see what’s going on if they hear strange noises. Criminals avoid lighted areas because they don’t want to be seen.
So what are some of the security lighting options?
The first thing people usually think of are those motion sensor lights on the corner of the house, and there is a place for those. However, if someone is close enough to your house to set them off, then they are already too close in my opinion. Personally, I think those lights create a pretty good startle effect, but the bad guy can just duck into the shadows until the light goes out — and then they know where to avoid. But I have observed over the years that many of those light bulbs are burned out, and the fixtures don’t work. Since most home and business owners don’t pay much attention to them, they just don’t notice that the lights aren’t working.
The last thing you need to do is to light your home up like a prison or football stadium. Not only is too much light just as bad as darkness for inducing security, it can actually create a more dangerous scenario than you may have expected due to glare issues. I believe it is much better to place some lights high up in the trees to light the entire lawn area with some soft low-level light. By doing this, you discourage the offender from even coming onto your property to begin with. Keep in mind that a small amount of light goes a very long way in the black of the night. Then adding some lights at the entry to the property and along walkways will allow you and your invited guests to move around safely. This method of security lighting insures that the whole property has enough light, and that there are no dark holes to hide in.
Here’s something else to consider. Thanks to today’s technologies, we can put this kind of lighting on a remote control, or you can operate it from a smartphone app. So think about arriving at your home late at night when it is dark; you hit the remote or the phone app and the outdoor lighting comes on and lights the whole place up. You can turn it back off when you are safely inside. I like the idea of having a regular lighting scene and a security scene that can be triggered with the remote.
We would love the opportunity to look at your property and discuss with you the best way to add a layer of security lighting that not only works but looks good while doing so. Please contact us here to set up an appointment for a free consultation.
