If you’ve ever read crime statistics or, more likely, watched a bunch of TV, you know that most break-ins, acts of vandalism, or other home-invasion-related crimes occur at night or other times with reduced light.
While the best measure against these sorts of things is a secure home - locks, alarm systems, landmines in your yard, guns under your pillow (just kidding about the last two) - if you have a well-lit yard, you’re less likely to need such protection. If a crook is going to be fully illuminated while approaching your home, they will more than likely elect not to. Or just go to the neighbor’s ill-lit house (share this article with them—for their safety). So while locks and alarms are great security measures, your first line of defense might just be your outdoor lighting fixtures.
Motion Lights
Leaving on any outdoor lights you may have can increase your home security, but it’s not an extremely cost-effective measure. That wattage will definitely add up and increase your utility costs. A great alternative to this practice is installing lighting with motion sensors. These will activate in the presence of any detectable movement, working to frighten criminals and neighborhood cats alike. Sometimes these can be triggered by debris caught in the wind or small animals, so choose a model that has adjustable detection sensitivity.
Typically, homeowners have these fixtures installed near the points of entrance for a home, like the front, back, and garage doors. This way, if anyone should attempt to break in (or your kids come home late), not only will they be spotlighted in a sense, but those inside might even see the light turn on. Break-ins aren’t the only thing you can deter with these lights, so there are other places they can be installed as well. If your neighborhood has some egg or toilet-paper-happy hoodlums you’d like to keep off your lawn, it might be worth the investment to install these fixtures in an area that will illuminate the whole yard.
Landscape Lights
Another cost-effective way to keep your yard well lit is installing landscape lights, the small lamps people typically install along walkways or near gardens. These are usually simple lights atop stakes or similar mounts and often have small solar panels that keep them powered without using your electricity. While these won’t light up your whole yard themselves, they can work in conjunction with other outdoor lights to more completely illuminate your yard.
If you’re interested in adopting this unconventional form of home security, you can find these outdoor lighting fixtures at most home improvement stores. Most often, the installation is easy enough to do yourself, so you can start scaring off eggers or more serious threats in no time.
