Outdoor Lighting for Safety: 4 Tried and True Techniques

Just like you might feel a little wary of a very dark parking lot when retrieving your car late at night, a dark home might make visitors take pause. But a dark home might be just the invitation for would-be intruders or vandals. So how do you remedy either situation? A good outdoor lighting plan can make your property both safer and more inviting.  

As experts in home technology from entertainment to automation, GHT Group is also your local, expert outdoor lighting company in Atlanta. Outdoor lighting is just one element of a multipronged approach to home safety and security with smart video surveillance, alarms, and home automation. Let’s explore four tried and true methods for designing outdoor lighting for safety.  And remember that GHT Group can integrate outdoor lighting into a comprehensive solution for a safer Georgia home!

SEE ALSO: What to Look for in an Outdoor Lighting Company

Light the Entries

This might seem obvious, but you might be surprised how many homeowners don't do this. Just about every home has some lighting specific to entries. However, many homeowners don't use them, as they might be too bright, unattractive, or may stay on longer than needed. Lighting control is one way to remedy both intensity and energy efficiency. A lighting control system can dim your light and turn it off at sunrise. For added sophistication, a sensor – or your video doorbell – can detect a visitor and brighten the entry lights for visibility. Isn’t that smart? 

Neighborly Illumination

Many homes have floodlights installed at corners of the outside perimeter of the house. These tend to be quite bright, and often people leave them on at night. Depending on your property and how they're aimed, some of these are annoying to neighbors, who might detect light creeping around their blackout bedroom shades, or through a window. Control these lights with lighting control that turns them off automatically or use sensors to turn them on when there is unexpected activity – but not every squirrel that scurries by! 

Motion Sensors

Motion sensors are excellent tools to trigger automation. You can use individual sensors or the abilities baked into modern smart security cameras to detect different kinds of movement. We don't advise relying exclusively on motion detection to turn on lighting. From a safety standpoint, your visitors may trip or not find every turn of a dark driveway with little lighting. From a practical perspective, lights already turned on are a more effective deterrent to potential trespassers. Motion sensors are excellent for focusing light on activity or turning on specific lights like a set of steps when someone approaches.

Use Rings of Light

You might also consider this the "layers of light" approach used indoors by professional lighting designers. Add soft lighting all the way to the perimeter of your property, from soft downlight “moonlighting” from trees to washing a plant bed with light. Various landscape lighting techniques can be used, making for a gently illuminated and safer outdoors and a very visually appealing aesthetic.  

Want to create a safer property with outdoor lighting? GHT Group can help. Contact us here or click the chat box below to quickly connect with one of our experts. We look forward to working with you!