Security lights could save your life, property

Late last year, Ms Sarah Nakabugo, a resident of Namugongo, a Kampala suburb, nearly lost her life after being attacked at night by unidentified people. The attack she took place at about 10pm just as she got back home from work.
Besides the fact that her area of residence has no night guards, Ms Nakabugo believes she was partly to blame for what happened to her that night given that she had never put into consideration having security lights in place. Having security lights is not something I thought of that much. I thought my place of residence was secure enough not until I was attacked by people I couldn’t identify because it was dark. Maybe if the area was well-lit, I wouldn’t have been attacked or at least I would have seen their faces,” she says.
This incident, Ms Nakabugo adds, was the defining moment that led her to ensure that her home is well-lit with lights throughout the night.
“Having security lights is one of the first steps that can be taken to ensure security. This is something some people may take for granted like I did in the past, but it’s a necessity,” she says. Ms Nakabugo adds that to ensure proper lighting, she had to look for security lights best suited for her home.
“When I finally decided to put up security lights, I opted for bulk head security lights. I chose this kind because my place has many hidden dark corners. They were recommended to me by an electrician,” she says.

Why have security lights?
Paul Ocheing a security guard at an apartment in Wakiso wonders why some tenants don’t switch on their security lights despite having installed them.
“I don’t know why most people here don’t switch on their lights. I tried asking some to switch on but they only do so for one or two nights and then it’s back to not switching on. Their cars are left out here in the dark and they don’t even care. One tenant used to switch on her lights but when she realised that the rest were not doing the same, she also stopped,” he says.
Having security lights is one thing many people don’t take seriously. This, according to Mr Hannigton Musiime, a security officer with Pinnacle Security, usually results in serious security problems.
“People need to know that we live in times when insecurity is rampant. So you must do all you can to secure your home. The least you can do is put up lights and switch them on every night.”
Besides security lights being for security, Ms Josephine Esther Nalubwama, an interior and exterior design, says they can also add beauty to the exterior of a home since they light up the place. Ms Nalubwama also says security lights can help one get rid of dangerous wild creatures that thrive in the dark.
“Snakes are common in places that are surrounded with bushes. Having security lights in place can help one get rid of snakes since it will no longer be a dark hiding place,” says Nalubwama.

Types of security lights According to Kamau Tabule, an electrician with Tronic Uganda Limited, the Ugandan market has close to four types of security lights available. These according to him include; flood lights, street light, bulk head lights and ceiling lights.

Flood lights
These kinds of lights, Kamau says, have a low power consumption but produce a lot of light. He says that flood lights are best suited for compound placement.
Asked how much they cost, he says the cost may depend on the size or number of electricity watts they consume.

Bulk head security lights
This kind of lights according to Kamau, are best suited for small dark corners outside of a home. He says that unlike other lights, these are usually water proof, easy to maintain and use basic bulbs. These three qualities, he adds, make them good enough to be used for outdoor lighting.
Kamau also says that the

Ceiling lights
Kamau says these kinds of lights are best suited for places like verandas and porches. They are brighter and do not consume a lot of electricity.

Street lights
Street lights, according to Kamau, are best suited for compounds. He, however, says that one can only use this kind of lights if they have a large compound with pathways through it.
“Streetlights are not for small compounds. says. Kamau adds that if it’s beefing up security that one wants, then they would have to put in place sensors. Some of the available sensors, he says, can be used with other types of lights.

Cost
Bulk head lights cost, between Shs88, 000 and Shs27, 000.
Ceiling lights cost between Shs60, 000 and Shs21, 000. Streetlights cost between Shs800, 000 to Shs300, 00 Flood lights usually cost from Shs1.3 million to Shs31, 000 depending on the size of the security light and how many watts are consumed