Everyone leaving outside lights on at night. (windows, phone, carpet)
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First-time homeowner here and I noticed that every house in my neighborhood leaves their outside garage lights on overnight. I've read some people do this for security reasons, but I don't really see the logic or reason. Seems like a waste of electricity.
First-time homeowner here and I noticed that every house in my neighborhood leaves their outside garage lights on overnight. I've read some people do this for security reasons, but I don't really see the logic or reason. Seems like a waste of electricity.
Also, is everyone expected to rake their leaves?
Running a 12W LED for 8 hours a night will cost you around $4/year. That's a small price to pay for the added security benefit.
The expectation regarding leaves is that you don't allow your leaves to blow onto your neighbor's property. Beyond that, it's your choice what to do with them. A carpet of dead leaves can choke out your grass and provide a breeding place for insects. Plus it looks crappy, so most people clean them up.
Leaves are the homeowner responsibility to clean up so they don't become a neighborhood nuisance. I grind mine up to feed the lawn, or compost them.
Don't get me started on people who leave their lights on all night long. I happen to enjoy the dark and live in a sort of country environment. Yet people insist on leaving their lights on all night. Maybe they are coming and going at odd hours? Or leave them on for the paper guy who comes through around 3 a.m.
But the "security" argument? Not buying that unless you like lighting the way for the perps. Leaving lights on only serves to allow the robber a lighted way for his path. If you keep it dark, and HE has a light, then you can spot them instantly. Not that it really matters. A robber will be a robber. We had multiple cars broken into last year at one of the holidays. Christmas or New Years. Stole all kinds of money, guns, cell phone stuff and other electronics from multiple cars. Not a soul, with all their lights, deterred anything. There's your answer. Outside lights on all night do nothing to deter a thief. We did gets lots of pictures of the crooks....hoodies, dark trousers and not a face identifiable. Turn em off. Waste of energy. Save money. Nobody cares about your landscape lighting at 1 a.m.
I could scream bloody murder where I live and no one would hear me this time of year since folks' windows are closed. I have two lights in the house on a timer I leave on and one light in the back, its all kind of useless I guess, but it makes me feel better. Someone walking around my house at night is likely to fall and trip over all the landscaping, buttress roots and critter holes. But I live in an area where during the day, some people don't lock their doors when they leave so who knows?
Security, the typical porch light, security lights, etc, aesthetics, the landscaping lights.
A Ring doorbell if concerned about security? Are you for real? lol
Lights are an effective way at providing a degree of deterrence to the random person looking to break into a car or house, or vandalize as such, and even to deter setting up for a home invasion. It is of course not 100% effective, and will not prevent the random junky high as a kite looking for something to steal for his next fix. The lights need to placed properly also, along with proper landscaping, as improperly placed, all you will be doing is giving a criminal a nice lighted place to do his thing.
Landscaping lights add beauty to the home, it is a looks thing.
For my home, i have many lights on, three corners always have a security light on, then my front and rear porch lights, gate lights, and my garage lights. I also have a lot of landscaping lights.
They hardly use any electricity, and something is not a waste if you are getting use out of it.
As for leaves, yea, rake them unless you want them to kill the grass.
If people are that concerned about security they should get a Ring doorbell.
Don’t you still need a light to see the people on a ring doorbell? I’ve seen a lot of dark blurry ring pictures. And a light might prevent them from choosing your house in the first place, and move on to a darker house.
And yes, your yard, your leaves, your job. Same with snow shoveling your sidewalk if you’re in the north.
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