Profit from Security Lighting

"Burglars consistently admit they target homes where they won't be observed," says Jean O'Neil, director of research for the National Crime Prevention Council. " A good rule of thumb is providing enough security lighting so that a homeowner can recognize a face at the door and a concerned neighbor can see someone lurking or breaking in."

Effective exterior home security lights makes a home look occupied, guarded and valued, but they don't have to be blinding and offensive. It's common for homeowners to sacrifice aesthetics for a high-wattage spotlight, says Sarah Heenan, certified lighting designer with Houston-based Illuminations Lighting.

"That just creates a bright spot intruders will avoid, and with bright spots there are shadows," Heenan says. "It's not being a good neighbor and it's not good security. You'll benefit a homeowner more by spreading out home security lights using different textures and sources and lower wattage."

Plan From the Ground Up
Heenan recommends a plan for home security lights that creates an even wash of light around a home's perimeter and ties into landscaping, focusing on objects such as bushes and shrubs that offer intruders concealment. Among areas that should be well-lighted are any points of entry such as doors, windows and garages.

To assess the areas that need security lighting, take a walk around the home or business and note areas that are masked by large objects, such as trees and staircases. In areas with no access or entry points, it may make sense to use motion-activated fixtures, while higher traffic or access points may require timer-activated fixtures.

Early in the planning process it's also critical for electrical contractors to assess power availability and restrictions, says Dan Daneault, a partner in Taftville, Conn.-based NESC Inc. "Make sure the panel is accessible and has enough open breaker space because you shouldn't tap off existing circuits. It may take one or two 15-amp circuits, but 99 percent of homeowners won't need a service change," he says.

When increasing the usage of low-voltage outdoor lighting in residential applications, be sure to adjust for voltage drops. "If your farthest fixture is 300 feet away, the run may start off with a No. 10 wire and need to drop down to a No. 14 to avoid dim lights at the end," Daneault says.

The ideal security lighting plan should play off of a structure's architecture and landscape. A popular concept today that integrates beauty with security is "moonlighting," which is the effect of placing HID fixtures high in trees and directing the diffused bluish light through the branches to the lawn and house. It subtly raises the overall light level for security, while mimicking the look of a natural full moon.

Shed Light on the Subject
A 300-watt halogen floodlight equipped with a motion detector is most commonly associated with security lighting, especially in commercial applications. While effective and inexpensive, they're frequently misdirected and triggered by animals or wind motion, which may become annoying or distracting with false alarms. Properly located on a garage or house and pointed downward within an angle of 60 degrees from vertical to avoid light trespass, they can be an asset and a valuable component to an interior alarm system.

Outdoor wall-mounted and post fixtures also are being manufactured with motion-sensor technology. Additional devices that automatically trigger lights such as timers, astronomical time clocks and photo cell units add more consistent perimeter safety.

Depending on a structure's architecture, some garage and window soffits can accommodate recessed lights and entryway cavities can house outdoor hanging pendant lights.

Below are 10 steps to effective security lighting:

1. Research local building and light trespass codes and secure a permit.
2. Outline the structure's perimeter and select the objects/entryways to be lighted.
3. Determine power capacity and accessibility to electrical panel, and ensure material used is proper for the application.
4. Create a diagram that provides uniform light, and allows maintenance without specialty tools.
5. Calculate electrical load required.
6. Plan any voltage drops.
7. Select light fixtures that complement landscaping and architecture and can be concealed.
8. Determine the intensity and color of the light.
9. Incorporate GFCI if fixtures light water features.
10. Select the lighting system's triggers and set on/off times.