Low Voltage Lighting Vs. High Voltage for Security
Outdoor lighting serves many purposes, including illuminating an entertainment area during a party, providing adequate illumination to foot traffic on walkways, and deterring assailants and burglars. Low voltage lighting might be the desired lighting for a romantic dinner on the back deck of a home, but high voltage lighting provides more safety and security benefits. Does this Spark an idea?
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Significance
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The purpose of adequate nighttime outdoor lighting in public places, such as universities and businesses, is safety. Safety is important while walking to and from buildings to nearby parking areas at night, as well as safety while walking from building to building.
Areas that are not well lit can make it hard to see steps or walking pathways between buildings as well as objects in the pathways, making it easier to trip or fall. Likewise, too dim a security lighting--or inadequate lighting sources--enables a potential assailant to hide from view. And it also hinders any witness from being able to provide an accurate description to police, after an event.
Considerations
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Low voltage lighting offers a more romantic or cozy nighttime ambiance during parties held outdoors at homes or school campuses. But while guests may prefer the soft and sporadic lights over bright blazing ones that illuminate the entire area, so do potential intruders. And as nighttime activities often include some type of physical activity (walking, running, swimming, cooking, dancing), there is more likelihood and danger an accident will occur to the guests or participants when low voltage lighting is used.
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Benefits
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While high voltage lighting might appear less enjoyable for nighttime events of a romantic nature, this type of lighting has many benefits that outweigh that one drawback. High voltage lighting covers more outdoor area, making it necessary to use less lighting sources to cover the same ground area. That parlays into less lighting fixture purchase expense and less replacement bulb needs, since less lighting fixtures are needed.
In addition, high voltage lighting helps deter potential intruders of homes, school buildings, and businesses, according to the "Lighting Magazine," and it reduces potential accident risk.
Criminal Deterrence
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High voltage lighting deters would-be intruders more than low voltage lighting, because it makes their presence outside a home or building much more noticeable to people in surrounding buildings or homes. Likewise, an assailant is less likely to attempt an assault on a path or grounds that are brightly lit up, according to the Lighting Resource Center.
Warning
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When considering low voltage vs. high voltage lighting in a residential home area, it is important to also consider placement location of the lighting chosen. Placing high voltage lighting where it will not adversely trouble or affect neighbors--by shining directly into their windows--is important for security purposes, as well as common courtesy. Agitated neighbors don't keep as keen an eye out for neighbor intruders if they are being inconvenienced by their neighbors by lights pouring into their home at late hours.
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