Should You Really Leave the Lights on When You Aren't Home?

Posted On Wednesday, 08 September 2021 19:45

If you're like most people, you've been told to leave the lights on when you are not home. You may have even heard it from your parents as a child. But is this really necessary? In some cases, yes! Leaving the lights on can deter burglars and other intruders looking for an easy target. But in many other cases, it's just that - an old wives' tale and a waste of electricity. Let's explore both sides so that we can decide what is best for us individually.

The Keep Lights on People

Keeping the lights on when you are not home is an old habit that dates back to the times when it was necessary to deter burglars from entering your home. The idea was that the light would deter potential burglars from entering your home and they would be scared off.

There are added perks to keeping the lights on. When you come home and it’s already dark out, it will give your extra visibility to enter your home. If you have pets, it’s also beneficial for them as they will be able to have some light while being home alone. 

The Turn the Lights Off People

These people are typically those who are concerned with the environment and health. 

In the modern world, we are surrounded by so much light that we don't need most of it. Think about how often you are turning on lights just because you don't want to be in the dark.

This is one of the reasons why there is a dramatic increase in power consumption and often people pay their electricity bill twice or thrice as much as they should.

The other hazard of overuse of artificial light is that it disrupts our natural sleep cycle, which can cause a lot of health problems such as obesity and diabetes, depression and even cancer among other things. So even if you cannot afford your electricity bill right now, turning off your lights when leaving your home can significantly lower the risk for all these health problems in addition to saving you money on your electricity bill!

Others that fit into this group simply say that this tactic just does not work anymore because burglars have become more sophisticated and they have access to technologies that make it easy for them to see in the dark. 

Instead, there are other ways of keeping your home safe when you’re out of town or going on vacation. 

Protect Your Home with These Alternatives

Home security is a serious matter. To make sure that your home is protected against burglars and any other intruders, you should implement as many security measures as possible.

These are some of the security methods you can find to protect your home:

Alarm System

Protect your home with a house alarm system. You can go the traditional wired approach, but wireless security systems are increasingly more popular in today’s day and age. 

They are cost effective, easy to install, and since they are cost effective you are able to protect almost any entrance to your home. 

The convenience is that through wifi, they can all connect to your personal smartphone device. 

Install Motion Lights or Sound Detectors

You can use timers or motion sensors that will turn on some exterior lights at night as soon as there is motion or sound detected outside of a specific area. 

These are fairly easy to install as well as there are non-wired options today. These can sometimes get annoying as they could pick up the littlest of movement like a bug flying or crawling. However, it’s could be a much better alternative than simply leaving all of your lights on. 

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