Security Lighting Installation

Security Lighting Installation

When it comes to Security Lighting for Crime Prevention, Strategy and Expertise Mean Everything

In past years, many businesses and families would install big, bright, glare-creating globe lights, or randomly-placed flood lights to prevent criminals from sneaking up on them at night. Numerous studies have shown, however, that just over-lighting a backyard or side of a house does little to deter, and may actually help criminals find easier access to these places. The key to successful security lighting is strategically placing and aiming the flood lights or spot lights where they will startle and at least temporarily blind an intruder, while also alerting you, your neighbors and passersby to their activity. Our Northern Virginia electricians have been designing and installing security lighting setups for homes and businesses in the area for a quarter of a century, so we know how to evaluate where and how to install a successful crime prevention lighting scheme.

Flood Lights and Spot Lights: Some Things to Consider About Security Lighting

  • The main objective of security lighting is to suddenly flood a dark area with light that will cause an intruder to retreat and leave your home or business alone. We evaluate the darkest, most “intruder-prone” areas to determine where security lighting should be strategically placed, particularly around entrance and exit locations such as doors, windows, gates and sliding glass doors.
  • Intruders prefer dark hiding spots where they will not be noticed if you come out to check for them. These are typically located around shrubs and bushes around the sides and back of a home. Strategically-located, motion-sensing spot lights and flood lights can make these areas useless to criminals.
  • A common and successful method for security lighting is to install 2-head flood lights with a sensitivity-configurable motion detector and photo cell. The photo cell saves energy by ensuring that the light only comes on when it is dark, and the motion sensor only trips when it senses movement in the area.
  • Motion sensors can be tricky because they cannot always tell the difference between a passing neighborhood cat, the wind blowing through a shrub, or an actual intruder. Fortunately, newer models of motion-sensing flood lights and spot lights are being developed with sensitivity settings that can get closer to making the light turn on only when a person passes by the sensor.
  • Many security lighting options also come with a manual override switch that enables the owner to switch off the motion sensor if the light keeps coming on for no apparent reason. It is important, however, to realize that sometimes criminals can use this to their advantage, so please call our Northern Virginia security lighting professionals for advice on newer models, designs and strategic placement of flood lights or spot lights that can optimize your chances of outwitting intruders.

Of course, motion-sensing security lighting can also be a convenience for homeowners and their pets aside from just deterring intruders. These lights can also help when a pet has to make a night-time excursion, or when teenagers are coming home from a night out as well.

Contact us today to determine your best outdoor lighting options for crime prevention.


Customer Testimonials

Mr. Root (the owner) came out to diagnose a short in our upstairs wiring that had the power out in 1/2 the upstairs. Great! He found the short quickly and fixed it. After seeing our flickering lights (not related to the short upstairs,) he advised me to call the local power company to check the exterior and street wiring since the interior breaker box was OK. That advice was perfect! The power company came out and ran new wires the same day. We’ll be calling Root for all our break/fix and remodel needs. They were prompt, professional, and priced just right.

Jill T. 
Alexandria, VA                 

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