It is a common misconception that floodlights only have applications in the commercial sector. Whilst it is true that they are most frequently used to illuminate large expanses such as car parks, stadiums, sports fields or warehouses, floodlights are not limited to the bulky, loud units conjured in your mind’s eye when you hear the word ‘floodlight’.
With the developments in LED technology, smaller, streamlined yet powerful floodlights are now available on the market. Today is the perfect time to consider how LED floodlights could be used in your home, particularly within an outdoor lighting set-up, as an effective, low-cost security feature.
Firstly – what’s so special about LED floodlights? They are widely regarded as the best outdoor lighting solution for their versatility, illuminating any outdoor space. They are designed to produce luminance with a direct and intense beam angle. Rather than having light dispersed aimlessly over an extensive area, these lights can strategically target a specific (and not necessarily small) place, allowing for more effective use of the lights for their intended purpose. Another key advantage of LED floodlights is their highly energy-efficient, long-lasting, and low-maintenance nature, thanks to the Light Emitting Diode technology. In contrast to traditional lighting solutions such as incandescent bulbs, which convert 95% of energy into waste (heat) and only 5% into light, LEDs are the opposite. They can efficiently transform about 95% of electricity into light, with minimal waste.
With this in mind, having LED floodlights on the exterior of your home will markedly lower the chances of intruders entering. A randomised trial conducted over 6 months in New York City in 2018 found that introducing outdoor lighting reduced crimes by 39% in public housing areas. Illuminating dark corners of your garden, driveways, side passages and alleyways, where potential infiltrators could hide in the shadows, will deter them from trying to surreptitiously enter your home. You can use targeted placement of the lights to cover any entry/exit ways and let potential burglars know they can be seen, making it not worth the risk to target your house.
If you are concerned about having lights on all night, consider using LED floodlights with a motion sensor (also called a PIR sensor) that only switch on when it detects someone in your outside space. This also adds an element of surprise for anyone attempting to enter your property. When the light suddenly comes on, they will most likely panic and leave your premises quickly. As an added bonus, these light fixtures have a lower total running cost, as the lights themselves are operating for a shorter amount time. For a solution with zero running costs, consider a solar-powered LED floodlight. Nowadays, so long as the panels aren’t placed in a shaded spot, solar technology is such that good panels can charge even in cloudy conditions, making solar-powered floods an equally reliable solution. Depending on where you want to place your floodlight, it is often a good idea to select one that comes with a remote control for programming. For example, if you wanted to place the LED floodlight on a garage roof and put the lights on a timer, it would be inconvenient to get a ladder out every time you wanted to make a small adjustment. With remote programming, the effort required for set-up and adjustment of timings is minimal and you can manually override at anytime with ease.
In short, there are many different options for LED floodlights, with an array of features to illuminate all kinds of spaces. What they all have in common is the ability to help protect your home from potential intruders whilst being long-lasting, low maintenance and energy efficient. If you don’t know where to get them, visit the Reddilight shop to check out our high-quality selection.
