Floodlights are one of the most popular options for improving the outdoor security of residential and commercial properties alike. They are affordable, quick and easy to install, and they are incredibly effective. Says Melissa Davidson from leading lighting supplier, The Lighting Warehouse: “Bright illumination is one of the most effective means of deterring criminals from your home or place of business, and flood lights are the best tool to provide this kind of illumination.”

Flood lights do what their name implies – they flood a large area with light, notes Melissa: “If you have a large area that you would like to light up, then flood lights are the best solution. They provide strong, bright light that should act as a deterrent for criminals, and if it doesn’t deter them, the light will be bright enough to allow for your CCTV cameras to provide good facial recognition of the criminal/s in question.”

However, aside from improved security, a floodlight can also help your business, explains Melissa:  “ Flood lights are an excellent way of enhancing your business’ visibility after hours, even if you are not operating. If you are operating after hours, then floodlights will make the area surrounding your business feel a lot safer, as it will be brightly lit – thereby reassuring your customers and making them feel more secure when frequenting your establishment.”

She says that the trouble with conventional floodlights is that they need to be wired in and installed by a professional, and they can use quite a lot of power. The solution is solar floodlights – they provide you with really bright light, but they are powered by the sun, so they cost nothing to run. They can also be installed anywhere – simply mount the LED light where required, and the solar panel must be installed in the sun at a 45-degree angle. This saves you time, effort and money, as you do not need to run electric wiring or hire a professional to install it. The photovoltaic energy from the sun charges the solar panel, so your floodlight requires no electricity to operate what so ever – making it a great option for both the environment and your pocket, and ensuring that it still operates during load shedding.”

Melissa says that when looking to invest in a solar floodlight, you should look for the following features:

• Size: The bigger the area, the bigger the flood light will need to be in order to provide adequate illumination. The Lighting Warehouse stocks solar flood lights in three different sizes – 20w, 30w and 50w.
• Automation: Any solar flood light worth its salt should be automated.
• Day night sensor: Floodlights with day-night sensors are extremely useful, as they automatically turn on the minute the sun goes down. So you don’t have to worry about manually switching them on.
• Remote control: High-end solar flood lights, like those from The Lighting Warehouse, come with a remote control, which allows you to operate it remotely. So, if you want to switch the light off or on for any reason, you can do it quickly, easily and via remote control!
•  Bracket: All solar floodlights should come with a bracket that allows you to mount it on the wall.
• Solar panel cable: Since the solar panel needs to be mounted in direct sunlight at a 45-degree angle, the cable connecting it should be adequately long enough to accommodate this as best as possible. The solar floodlights from The Lighting Warehouse for example, boast a long 3m cable that directly connects the solar panel to the floodlight, ensuring that you can install the panel quite a distance away from the floodlight, allowing for maximum exposure to sunlight.
• Rating: Be sure to look at the rating for the solar floodlight – those stocked by The Lighting Warehouse boast an IP66 rating, which means that they are weather-proof and able to withstand dust and irrigation – making it suitable for outdoor installation.
• Brightness: Obviously, to perform, a floodlight needs to offer bright light. The way to determine the brightness is to look at the lumen output of the light in question.  Any solar floodlight should offer a lumen output of between 2000 lumen to 3200 lumen. The three models stocked by The Lighting Warehouse offer a lumen output of 2000 lumen, 2400 lumen and 3200 lumen respectively.
• Colour: 6000k white daylight colour is the best option, as it provides maximum visibility.

For more information or to shop online, visit: https://lightingwarehouse.co.za/product-category/outdoor/flood-lights/

Shopping online is easy, and delivery of online orders over R500 is free nationwide.

NOTE: While stocks last. E&EO.
06 2020