Security Lighting for Your Property, A Practical Guide for Homeowners|Does Security Lighting Work? The Honest Answer|Rethinking Security Lighting for Homes and Businesses

The default answer, and its problem

The standard response to feeling exposed at night is one very bright fixture on a bracket. The instinct is understandable and mostly wrong. A single harsh source creates as much shadow as it removes, and those shadows are worse than the original dark.Taken together, it points somewhere other than brightness. It is more fixtures at lower output, placed thoughtfully, covering the approaches rather than blasting the yard. It costs no more than the floodlight approach in most cases, and it works.

Coverage, rather than wattage

What you want is coverage, not peak brightness. Spread the light out and the hard edges go away. Even coverage takes away the dark edges, which is what you were actually after.

What the roofline run does here

The roofline run has a second job here. It puts light on every side of the house it runs along, from above, which is the right direction. And because it runs on a schedule, it does not depend on somebody remembering.

Where the dark spots actually are

The dark spots are not where you think. Do one lap after sunset and look. Look at the sides, the back corners, the gate and anywhere a structure blocks a light. That walk is worth more than reading about fixtures.

Where sensors fit

Sensors are worth having in one or two places. The good use is somewhere nobody goes most nights. Used badly, they trigger on every cat and every branch until somebody disables them. The reliable base is consistent illumination, with motion as a supplement rather than the whole plan.

Aiming, and being a good neighbor

Poorly aimed fixtures carry. A floodlight aimed at the wrong angle puts light through somebody's bedroom window, and it was not doing much for you anyway. Shielding and aim keep the light where you paid to put it. It is part of doing it properly. Good outdoor lighting stays on the ground it was installed to cover, and a plan that respects that is a better plan for the person who owns it too.

Cameras need light too

Plenty of properties have cameras and poor lighting. Even coverage gives a camera something to work with. One harsh source produces glare and shadow, which is the worst case. Good security lighting serves both purposes at once.A schedule is part of the plan. A dusk to late evening schedule handles the period when people are coming and going, and a lower overnight level covers the rest.

Getting a real assessment

Security lighting is site specific in a way catalogs cannot be. EverCrest Lighting does security lighting alongside landscape, accent and permanent roofline systems for residential and commercial properties across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. The consultation is https://evercrestlighting.com/permanent-lighting/ free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or [email protected].

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