Outside porch lights

[Hilary]

Do you leave yours on all night? I swear I'm the only person in my neighborhood that does. I thought this was safer.

[Waz]

I voted no, but that's only because we live out in the country so it's not really needed as a security device. However......when we lived in Suburbia we definitely had them on all night!!! We were the only house on the block too. I hated it........ I feel much safer when neighborhoods are LIT UP!

We had those light sensor porchlights on either side of our garage so we never even had to think about it. When it got dark they automatically came on, and then turned off in the morning!

Chris

[Martian Lullaby]

Nope. Ours is motion-sensitive so it's not on all the time anyway, but we turn it off after we're both in for the night and not expecting anybody. It actually bugs me when people leave their lights on all night because they usually shine right in our windows when we're trying to sleep.

Our next-door neighbor had an experience a few weeks ago. At two AM he was woken up by somebody pounding on his door and pleading to be let in. There was this guy on the porch begging to use the phone, saying that people were after him and trying to kill him. My neighbor refused to let him in the house, but told him to go wait around back and he'd call the police himself. A few minutes later a carful of drunk men drove up looking for this guy. My neighbor told them he'd called the police and they took off pretty fast.

We live in a pretty anonymous neighborhood, so my neighbor was curious as to why this guy had picked his house out among all of the others. The reason? My neighbor's porch light had been on.

[sheila]

Wow! That's a scary story! :errr:

We don't leave our porch lights on. In fact, our porch lights are rarely on because they are currently motion sensitive, so they go off pretty quickly when they are on. But we are planning to change them out with the "regular" kind, and we might think about getting the kind that automatically comes on at dusk and goes off at dawn.

[kim]

no. i never even put them on because they keep tripping the breaker! drives me insane!

[Barb]

I voted "yes" because for the last week we have been. We were robbed a week ago Tuesday and we decided it would be best to keep our house lit up. Now, after hearing Megan's story, I'm wondering if that's the best thing. We've been discussing getting the motion sensor lights instead, now I'm really thinking we should.

[Nocona]

I voted no. Our garage has a motion detector light on it, though. Also, the neighbors directly across from us have the most annoying light over their garage. It's the brightest freaking thing you've ever seen and it lights up our whole section of neighborhood :eek:

[TtownAnne]

We leave our porch lights on all night (although now Megan's story scares me.....) except in the summertime, when they draw every bug for 9 square miles to the front of our house, making it impossible to open the door without letting them all in. :rolleyes:

[benwood]

We do/did until it burnt out. Now, I can't figure out how to change it. :blush:

[Sherry]

we leave our's on. Then again, there is no choice, They are automatic. Came with the house. And every single house here has them and it would look pretty weird if ours were not on and everyone else's was.

[Dennis]

We do, and we leave lights on in the backyard as well. When we first moved in, we had a police office come and do a security evaluation (it's a free service they provide here) and he said that leaving outside lights on at night is one of the best things you can do, because a well-lit house is one of the best deterrents to thieves. If you don't want them on all night you can use the montion-sensor ones. Just about everyone in our neighborhood leaves them on.

Dennis

[Cheri]

I voted sometimes...If I forget to turn them off, that is when they stay on. :)
I leave for work at 3:30 am so I leave them on when I leave for work, so I guess that's the middle of the night to most people...

[Shel]

We have a daylight sensor on our outside lights on the garage. They come on at dusk and turn off at dawn.

[Faye]

I voted no, we have one of those with a motion detector that comes on when someone or something walks near it. Then it goes back off after a few minutes. :) We live in the woods where it is very dark and I think this type works best to scare someone off if they walk past it and it suddenly comes on rather than having a light that is on all the time.

[LisaBelle]

No, we usually shut it off once we are both home and go upstairs for the night.

[LoriS]

We don't leave the porch light on, but we do leave our coach lights by the gartage on. THe main reason we do it is because Chris gets home after dark, and I would never remember to put it back on if they were off:blush:

[AmyP]

Yes, we do. Ours has a light sensor, so we never even hit the switch unless we're changing the bulb.

[Tamara]

I voted Sometimes, usually if one of us or all of us are out and notsure if/when we will behome. Or when I forget that happens alot too. :)

[LisaE]

Ours are on a motion sensor. I would leave it on all night, but it shines right in Jude's room.

[LeighAnn]

Our front porch light is on all night. Our back poorch light is not. We also have 2 outdoor lights (on poles) that are on all night (sort of like streetlights). We live out in the country, with no neighbors, with a ton of land. In other words, we are pretty isolated. I like having the outdoor lights on so that it is more difficult for someone to approach the house without being noticed (ok, can yiou tell we have been robbed?).

[Amy]

We do now, but eventually we'll get either a motion light or a dusk-to-dawn light. Currently, our front porch is enclosed, and we keep both lights (inside the porch and outside the very front door) on all night, especially when Darrell is working nights. Sometimes if he's home and parks his truck out back, then we'll turn it out just so we aren't predictable.

Next summer we're tearing off the enclosure on our porch, so then I want either the motion or dusk to dawn lights. I hate it when I go out of town for the day and leave the light on all day, I feel like it's advertising that no one's going to be home til after dark.

[Karri]

We keep our front porch light on, as do most of the neighbors. I just feel safer, knowing that no one can sneak around w/o being seen. Oh yeah...our side door has a motion sensor light by it.

[olcott]

Most of the time we do....we had to get heavier curtains for our bedroom because of this :lol: The light was so bright it lit up our bedroom

[Brooke]

Our back porch light is a motion sensor that picks up anything that comes around either side of our house.

Our community actually suggests that you leave your porch light on all night for security. We leave it on. We also leave on the lamp post we have that is close to our street. It lights up our whole front yard and DH's truck.

[LISA]

The only time I leave the light on all night is when dh is working nights and I am home alone :)

[Erica]

Nope, it is almost never on unless we are expecting anyone. At our back door we have a motion sensor kind and it is always on.

[Cori]

I voted sometimes. We normally turn it off unless we accidentally forget. I do leave it on, and tons of other lights too, when Greg is working 3rd shift.

We live in a really quiet suburban neighborhood and rarely ever have any problems around here. I still get a little nervous when Greg works nights though.

[Mrs. Ashleigh]

We do sometimes when i forget to turn it off, and sometimes we leave it on. It all depends on if we forget to turn them off before bed :blush: