The Importance of Exterior Lighting for Your Home

There are plenty of reasons why it is a good idea to add functional outdoor lighting to your home. In fact, even if you are opting for including landscape lighting in your outdoor design you will find there are benefits you hadn't even thought of. So if you are on the fence about whether or not you should move forward with this lighting, here are some things to consider.

• Illumination - This is the obvious reason most people opt for exterior lighting. You want a way to light up the outside of your home for those times you have over friends and family for BBQs and get togethers on the patio or lawn. Even if you just like to enjoy evenings alone on your porch you should have proper lighting in order to be able to enjoy it.
• Safety - General lighting is good for safety, however you may want to add to what you have with details like walkway lighting. Part of the reason you want to add exterior lighting to your home is to prevent injuries. This will also help reduce the risk of someone slipping and falling on your property and then suing you for damages. Pay careful attention to areas where traffic may be highest such as around pools, decks or other outdoor seating areas.
• Decor - The right choice in lighting can actually become part of the landscaping. It will help to showcase aspects of your landscaping design or garden while also offering the right amount of aesthetics. Highlight details like certain trees or even added water features like a pond or waterfall. To really make it customized to your unique style, consider mood lighting or lighting you can dim depending on the atmosphere you want to create.
• Curb Appeal - Just as the right lighting showcases what you want seen, the right placement can take the focus from what you don't want. Use your lighting plan to really make certain aspects of your house or landscaping pop. This will divert the eye away from what you'd rather not showcase, like your utility shed. Working with a professional will help you to determine where the best placement is.
• Property Value - Almost anything you do to improve your house will help to add additional value. So, the good news is that the initial upfront investment for your landscape lighting will have an immediate return by increasing your property value.
• Security - Homeowners rarely fully comprehend the true value exterior lights have for helping as an added security measure. Keep in mind that a criminal is looking for a place to burglarize or vandalize that is not going to be easy to be detected. Obviously a home lit up like a Christmas tree is not going to be the best candidate. Even if you would rather not have bright lights shining outside your home at all times to deter criminal activity, consider adding motion lights as a deterrent instead.

Keep it Green

The good news is too that you can add outdoor lighting to your home but still make it an eco-friendly project. There are plenty of options available for energy-efficient lighting choices when designing your landscape lighting. This works out in your favor for two great reasons.

For one obviously, you are doing the right and responsible thing you should as a homeowner for helping to protect and preserve the environment. The other added bonus to making this wise choice is that it means less money on your monthly utility bills. So the money you invest in your lighting will at least be much kinder to your monthly utility bills.

Another way you can always go green is using some motion sensor lighting. Since these only come on when triggered and do not remain on, you are using way less energy. And of course, this will also reflect on monthly lighting bills that are not as high. There are plenty of other great reasons to add exterior lighting to your home but these are some of the most popular ones. Find just the right lighting professional to plan out your lighting so that you can be confident that it will be done correctly.