Placing your outdoor security lights in the right spot is essential. Security lights can provide added garden security, but remember to take into account things like glare and whether the neighbours are likely to be affected.

Lights should be placed at least 2 metres off the ground to ensure maximum effectiveness and should have a beam angle of no more than 70 degrees to avoid light pollution. The Environmental Protection Act legislates against light pollution which can cause a nuisance to neighbours, for example if the light is shining directly in to next doors bedroom window or can cause accidents if aimed towards the road.

Security lights are intended to alert you to the presence of a burglar. Use lighting to illuminate areas of the garden or driveway that you can see from the house easily. For example, there is little benefit in illuminating the bottom of the garden if you can’t see it from the house.

There is also the running cost to consider as security light systems can be expensive to run unless you opt for a solar powered option.

Security lights can also be counter effective if used incorrectly. Extremely bright light can create extra shadows in corners for burglars to hide in. A motion detection security light will illuminate once it detects motion but if the light is active every time the cat from next door crosses the garden, the activation of the light will not cause you act on it.