There are a lot of variables that you need to consider when it comes to installing a landscape lighting system. The number of choices that you have to make can also seem daunting at times. That means that it is easy to overlook one major variable that many people need to consider and that is how your lighting system will affect your neighbors.
Don’t Forget Your Neighbors
For some people this may be common sense but just think about it. Would you like your neighbor to shine bright lights into your home at night? We doubt it very much. No one likes a noisy neighbor, especially when you are trying to sleep which makes most people be neighborly with their noise. Do the same with your outdoor lighting too.
Outdoor lighting can mean a number of different things. It can be light to illuminate a backyard or it can be a light to illuminate your driveway. It could be security lighting. All of these can potentially shine into your neighbor’s homes. Now of course for the most part this is not really a problem as many of these lights are not overly bright enough to cause a problem but some of these, like security lights can.
Bright Lights Make Unhappy Neighbors
Put yourself in your neighbor’s situation. You have just installed a nice new security light that shines right into their bedroom. It is so bright that curtains don’t dim it much. This makes it hard for them to sleep and it will make them curse your name. At the same time a security light that shines all night may not do what it is intended to do, which is to attract attention when someone comes near it. Having a motion sensor with one of these lights at the very least is a good idea.
With a bright light constantly on should a burglar come by in the wee hours of the morning they will not attract any attention as they would with a sensor. Should the light turn on, it might have attracted your neighbor’s attention who would look out the window, see them and call the police. Instead, they will be covering their head with their pillow and trying to get some sleep while ignoring the sound of the burglar breaking into your home thinking that it serves you right.
OK, maybe not but it could.
Security Lights Are Bright
You probably have figured out by now that security lights are bright and that is for a reason. Their range can vary from around 30 feet of illumination to up to 70 feet and most have 180° of illumination. Some are not overly bright with only around 200 lumens worth of illumination but some can exceed 1400 lumens.
As a comparison there are many powerful flashlights that have 1400 lumens of intensity and 1400 lumens is about what would be needed to light a 1000 square foot room completely. That is a lot of intensity. To have a look, many hardware stores carry them and you can try them out to get a feel for their intensity. When you do that, or if you have one of your own, imagine that shining into your bedroom at night.
Let The Pros Install The Lights!
That is of course not to say that installing security lighting should not be done. It should but it should be done properly by letting a professional service like Resort Lighting handle the installation. We have experience with this kind of work (and plenty more) and can handle the installation of security lighting so that it has the maximum effect with minimal effect on your neighbors.
Of course a good outdoor lighting system can do far more than just increase your home security and provide a much better ambiance to your outdoor space. It also increases your property value and that of your neighbors as well. If your neighbors don’t have an outdoor lighting system or have an out-of-date one, a professionally installed system might encourage your neighbors to have their own installed. This increases your security, your neighbor’s security and everyone’s property value.
At the very least, with properly installed security lighting your neighbor will be less interested in installing their own and shining it directly into your home. When it comes to your outdoor lighting and security lighting be a good neighbor.
