Did you know that over 1 million burglaries occur in the US each year?
What’s worse is that 65 percent of victims know the burglar, and the crime happens from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. That said, having the ability to protect your home is a must. Some folks say that one solution is by installing residential lighting in your New England home. After all, investing in residential exterior lighting can help deter potential burglars and enhance hour household’s appearance.
However, is it okay to leave your porch light running? Is residential lighting worth the investment? NE Insurance aims to shed light on this topic and review the benefits of exterior lighting for your New England home.
Benefits of Residential Exterior Lighting
Before you jump on this exterior lighting trend, let’s look at the benefits of having your lights on after hours:
- Security. Having an illuminated home, especially at night, deters burglars from even approaching the household. Lights could reveal their potential hiding spots, which keeps your home from becoming an ideal target. With Halloween fast approaching, having residential lighting in New England will keep you safe from trick-or-treaters with ulterior motives. If you’re going out at night, leaving the lights on is a smart choice.
- Homeowner and pedestrian safety. When your exterior stairs and walkways are adequately lit, navigating around your property becomes much easier. On the other hand, having exterior household lighting also increases the visibility of your home for passersby, keeping them safe from potential hazards on your property. Otherwise, any slip-and-fall accident falls on you when it occurs within your grounds.
- Practicality. Nothing ever beats hanging out in your backyard with the family. You could play a game of badminton or soccer any time of the day provided with good lighting. Without such an amenity, you could only enjoy your yard within a limited window of opportunity.
- Aesthetic appeal. Exterior residential lighting in the form of hanging lanterns or string lights can enhance the beauty and charm of your property. If you love how your home or yard looks, why stop appreciating its beauty after sundown?
Considering that Daylight Savings is coming on November 6, there will be shorter days and less light. That means having lights on your home is a good idea for all intents and purposes.
Is It Okay to Keep Lights Off?
So leaving your residential lighting on in your New England home is beneficial. But are there any merits to keeping your lights off even if you aren’t home?
Yes.
Here are some cases:
- If you’re on vacation and away from your home. Leaving your lights on for days will be suspicious for burglars. They may deduce your absence and break into your household.
- During the day, there are no apparent reasons to leave your lights running. More often than not, it’s a tell-tale sign that you’re not home, especially when there are no visible people from the outside.
- During the wee hours, most people are already asleep perhaps including burglars. Since most break-in crimes occur predominantly during the day, leaving your lights on during the wee hours is only wasteful.
- If you reside in a sparsely populated neighborhood, there is no reason to leave your lights on for hours on end. It will only call unwanted attention to burglars.
Best Solution for External Lights
Okay, so there are burglary-preventing and safety-promoting benefits to keeping your lights on and off at certain periods. If you’re far from home, what is the best solution?
Install fully automated lights.
Some models have motion sensors that illuminate when a person approaches the perimeter. This could be startling, especially for burglars attempting to break into your household. Moreover, these lights could also detect whether it’s daytime or nighttime and light up accordingly. Plus, you can often control them with your phone through an app that gives the illusion of random occupancy.
If you have trusted neighbors, you can ask them to pick up mail, packages and newspapers from your home too. This will prevent would-be burglars from thinking the residence is empty.
At NE Insurance, we provide helpful tips and guides to homeowners within the New England area. Your home’s safety is always our priority. If you ever need an insurance policy for your household, reach out to NE Insurance for a quote.