The Do's and Dont's Of Porch Lights

In the same way a few well-placed lamps can revitalize a room, neighborhoods get a face lift when given the proper lighting. A well-lit, bright street is far more more welcoming than a dark row of creaky houses—but does that make it safer? Is it mother-nature-friendly? Should you leave your porch light on all night?

DON'T leave the light on all night. It's not green.
DO set any overnight nights to a ¹/₂ power dimmer setting.
DO install motion sensors or infrared sensors to shed some bright light on any unexpected late night/early morning activity.
DON'T forget that motion sensors can lose effectiveness over time. and DON'T forget to test them occasionally.
DON'T leave the light on all day. If you've flipped the switch because you know you won't get home until after dark, you're sending a signal to potential burglars that they've got all day to get to work.
Similarly, DON'T leave the light on during a week-long vacation. You might think it's tough to even tell the light's on during the day, but it's more noticeable than you think.
DO set your lights to a timer or a solar sensor so they automatically flip each day when it gets dark.
DON'T just leave the light on at the specific entryway you know you're coming home through. A back porch light left glowing on a Saturday night tells potential intruders that you're out at the bars and returning home through the back door.
DON'T just turn the light on when you feel vulnerable. Somebody staking out your home might know your spouse is out of town when your home security patterns change.
DO keep to your normal porch-light-schedule, whatever that is. If you turn the light off every night at 11pm before you go to bed, a light left on past midnight sends the message that you're out late. Set it to a timer instead.
DO realize that indoor lights can help with safety, too. A blue light bulb set to a random timer looks like a television being turned on and off inside.

(Images: Flickr users Adam Sacco and SFAntti, under license from Creative Commons.)

Comments (13)

I feel you left something else out: courtesy to your neighbors. Aim or shade your lights so they aren't glaring in your neighbor's windows. Especially if you feel you must leave them on all night!

Okay... this post just left me freaked out that whether the light is on or off, someone is out to get me.

You say it to a timer that will turn them on when it gets dark outside, but not to leave the light on if I'm going to be out late... Um, the entire point of a porch light is so I can see when I get home.

This entire list is confusing and unnecessarily terrifying.

We keep our front and back outdoor lights on all night. The bulbs are just bright enough to light the doorway and several feet beyond.

I live in Baltimore City, so I'll keep the light on all night. A bright street is a safer street in Bmore...

For this long post there wasn't one recommendation to use a CFL. This seems to be the most important thing to be "green".

I live in a small(er) college town; Our porch lights only get turned on if we're going out or expecting company or after-dark deliveries. If that's a signal for somebody to break in, so be it. I figure if they take the risk of doing so (we live along a busy street), they need whatever they take far more than I do.

Actually, our back porch light goes on when I take out the dog, too. She's scared of the stairs otherwise.

We use CFLs in our outdoor lights. They seem to last reasonably long.

The bug accumulation can be an issue, but on our back porch at least, a big spider sets up shop next to the light and is nicely fed all summer long.

anning, there are "bug lights" that insects are supposed to ignore, but they are yellow and don't appear as bright.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I17IJC/

don't most home blurglaries happen during the day anyways?

I second the tip on shading lights, but for a different reason -- Any upward light is not getting used effectively so it's wasted electricity and it contributes to light pollution. Here's a very interesting article from National Georgraphic which focuses on the effects of light pollution: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/light-pollution/klinkenborg-text

Sorry. Grew up in Los Angeles. The light is on all night.

I've used a yellow "bug" light for years on my front porch and it's great. True, it's not as bright as a regular bulb, but that just means it isn't glaring at you when you come home. It's not dark by any means and you get used to it fast. It gives off enough light to see what you need to and I believe yellow is a little less obtrusive when it comes to light pollution. That's a win-win.

I second ladymelody. Some burglars will stake out your house to wait for you to leave, regardless of what lights are or aren't on.