Why improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security

Outdoor lighting is an essential part of home security. It offers numerous benefits, such as improved deterrence, lower insurance premiums, and enhanced burglar identification chance. And the best thing about outdoor lighting is that it is really cheap compared to other security measures. In fact, if you are looking for affordable home security ideas, the best thing to do is invest in a few additional outdoor lights. Why is that, you might ask? To answer that question, we will show you exactly how improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security.

5 reasons why improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security

Many people believe that the sole purpose of outdoor lighting is to help them find their way in the dark. That is why many homeowners decide to install a single light, usually above the front doors. However, improving your outdoor lighting is one of the best ways to secure your backyard from intruders, and it offers several notable benefits. These benefits include (but are not limited to):

1. Deterrence
2. Removes dark corners and shadows
3. Reduced insurance premium
4. Improves identification chance
5. Catches burglars off guard

Furthermore, by improving your outdoor lighting, you will increase the property value of your home. Therefore, it is an excellent investment, whichever way you look at it. But that is beyond the scope of this article. For now, let’s see exactly how it benefits your home security.

Good outdoor lighting deters burglars

Not a single burglar wants to enter a home through a well-lit window or a door. While there might be some individuals that are brazen enough to do so, good outdoor lighting will deter most burglars. And, as you might imagine, deterrence is the best form of home security. You want burglars to take one look at your home and say, “Hell, no.” And if you want to make sure that your home looks as impregnable as possible, you may want to consider improving home security with landscaping, as well. While your outdoor lights will do most of the work, it is crucial to minimize any places that burglars may hide in. Speaking of which, this is incidentally the next benefit of improved outdoor lighting.

There will be no dark corners or “handy” shadows

If you have but a single outdoor light illuminating your property, there will be plenty of places where burglars may choose to hide. However, the way that improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security is by removing most of those places. There will be no dark corners and no “handy” shadows that burglars may take advantage of. As an added benefit, improving your home lighting may improve your neighborhood safety, as well. When your neighbors see that your home is much more burglar-proof than other homes, they might start improving their own outdoor lighting as a result. In the end, everyone wins! Aside from burglars, of course.

Lower insurance premiums mean more money for security measures

Every sensible homeowner will have some form of home insurance. Whether it is your homeowner’s insurance policy or a third-party policy, ensuring that your home is insured is always a good idea. But did you know that the insurance premiums are based on how secure your home is in the first place? That is why the cost of installing a new home security system is usually offset by the monthly insurance rates. And improved outdoor lighting compounds on this added security. Even if you choose to enhance your outdoor lighting alone, you may still see considerable savings in insurance premiums.

Let’s say that all you worry about is your home insurance. Improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security on its own, but it will also allow you to invest additional funds in your security system. You can get a few more CCTV cameras, for example, or invest in additional locks. Ultimately, you can simply pocket the money if you feel the additional security from the lighting alone is sufficient.

Burglars are easier to identify with good outdoor lighting

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, the old idiom goes. The fact is that no matter how burglar-proof your home is, some burglars will still want to get in. You can improve your home security to the maximum, and there will still be someone who thinks they can steal from you. However, what you can do is make sure that you have the best chance of identifying the perpetrator. And that is precisely what improved outdoor lighting will do for you. Even night vision cameras work much better when there is at least some light.

While you may think that identifying the burglar is not all that beneficial, as they already got in, it can help stop any subsequent crimes. And there’s the fact that there is around a 25% chance of a repeat burglary within one week, increasing to over 50% within one month.

Improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security by catching burglars off guard

Investing in motion-sensing lights or lights that detect body heat is a great way to catch burglars off guard. The lights will alert you that someone is creeping around, and your neighbors might also notice. Most burglars will simply choose to leave and seek easier prey if they get suddenly caught within a lighted area. They don’t like to work in the light, you see. You can further customize your home security by “fiddling” with the settings, such as detection range, automatic lighting routines, and similar.

Moreover, such technology will invariably increase the value of your home. Not only because of improved safety but also because it is an investment in the place. In addition, as it contributes to the safety of the entire neighborhood, it affects the reputation of the area, which can increase property prices and the desirability of the place.

As you can see, improving your home’s outdoor lighting improves home security in quite a significant way. If you want to find out even more ways to increase the safety of your home, or find the best home security companies in your area, refer to the Consumer Opinion Guide. Our expert articles possess all the information you might require!