Energy Efficient Security Lighting

Photocells and motion detectors can be installed on your home for security and energy efficiency. Lighting can be tricky but also very important. Some people like a lot of outdoor lighting that can be used for ambiance lighting, for beauty. One of my customers used LEDs for all his exterior lighting such as walkway lighting, dock lighting, and tree lighting. Many people use photocells on their flood lights. They are more reliable. They go from dusk to dawn. The problem is that they run for 12 hours.

There is a difference between security lights and lights for beauty. Ambiance lighting is just for effects. It’s so that people will say that your lighting is pretty.

Some homeowners have installed photocells on motion sensors. They only come on if there is motion within that area like something passing within that area. So motion detectors within your lights are better. You can walk completely around a house and all the lights will come on as you pass each one. And, you are not using up electricity all night long so the motion sensors become energy efficient.

Homeowners like motion sensors because you don’t have to have a light on 24 hours a day. The light is only used when someone passes in front of it. In fact, if you go outside and work in an area and it will stay on for 5 minutes. You can make a motion and it will come back on. You can set the motion sensors to come on at different intervals. You can set them for 1 minute, 5 minutes or 10 minutes. They are most commonly used on the exterior of your house on the flood lights. They can also be used on commercial applications such as street lights. Street lights are photo sensed.

There are some subdivisions that will not let you place exterior lights whatsoever on your house. They said it interfered with the residents star watching. But you should have exterior lights for security purposes. Exterior lighting is really important. You don’t have to install a photocell light which will run from dusk to dawn. You can go with a motion sensor light and be energy efficient.

Did you know that most lights with sensors can be turned on as a regular light? All you need to do is turn them off and turn them back on quickly, and they will stay on. They will stay on until you turn the switch off. Then they will reset again as a motion sensor light. That’s the neat part: you can use them as regular lights.

If you have company coming to your house and you want flood lights continuously on, you flip the switch. You turn it off and then turn it back on quickly and the motion part will be off. You will be by-passing it. And once you turn it off again, it will reset and go back to motion. But if you don’t have company, what is the use of lighting up the neighborhood? Burglars like lights because they can see where your house is. Most burglars will not expect a light if they come close to your house and lights comes on. They don’t know if someone inside the house flipped a switch or if it came on automatically. And if you are inside your home and see an exterior light come on, you know someone or something moved within the range of a flood light. It would alert you that something is lurking within the area of your photocell.