If you think the odds of your home being burglarized are slim, we have some some fairly alarming statistics you need to hear about home burglary. Here are a few quick facts:
- There’s a burglary happening right now – in fact, there’s one every 15 seconds! (That’s about 5,800 burglaries per day in the U.S.)
- Overwhelmingly, burglars target private homes over businesses or commercial properties.
- Nearly 60% of burglaries involve forcible entry.
Security lighting serves an important function in deterring would-be burglars while also letting you see what’s going on around your house. The key to where to put security lights is early deterrence, which simply means that the sooner you have light on an intruder when he enters your property, the better!
Entrance Lighting
If a burglar is looking to break into your home, the easiest points of entry are windows and doors. He will most certainly choose an unlit door over a well-lit door. Front and back porch lights are essential in deterring burglars, but adding a floodlight over the garage is also important to the safety of your home. Use one that’s bright enough to light up the entire garage-door area.
Related Read: What’s the Smartest Choice for installing Smart Lights in Your Home?
Perimeter Protection
The next step is to install motion detecting lighting that reaches to the ends of your property. This will deter burglars before they get near your home. If your house is set back from the street a little further than the motion detectors will reach, this may require you to bring electrical power closer to where you need to install your lights. Ideally, you’ll want motion-detecting lights to cover the entire perimeter of your house – front, back and sides.
Related Read: Creative Ideas to Make Your Backyard a Nighttime Paradise
TIP: You can use solar-powered lights, but they are generally not nearly as bright as lights that are hard-wired.
We don’t give you this information to scare you. We want your home to be safe. Good security lighting is an important deterrent, and worth the investment. Contact Jeremy Electrical, Heating & Cooling if you need help installing additional security lighting around your Kansas City home.
While we’re on the subject of safety, if you live in an older home, download our Electrical Panel Safety Checklist to make sure your home isn’t hiding any potential shock or fire hazards. Click on the image below to get the list:
