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What Are the Different Types of Front Porch Lights?

Troy Holmes
Troy Holmes

Choosing a porch light typically depends on personal preference and the desired lighting effects needed for a home's entrance. Front porch lights come in many shapes and sizes and vary widely in price. Light options include mounted, hanging, or recessed lights, which can all be added to security systems.

Front porch lights can be a security feature for a home. These lights can be connected to motion detectors that automatically turn on when a person walks onto the porch. Security lights can also be connected to internal alarms that signal homeowners when the lights have turned on.

Decorative porch lights come in many colors and styles. The most popular styles are made with brass and wrought iron black. These door lamps come in many fancy shapes that can give a door entrance a Victorian look and feel.

Hanging porch lights are fixtures that hang from the ceiling of the porch, similar to a chandelier. There are few types of hanging front porch lights available. These come in many colors and designs that match most homes.

Similar to chandeliers, hanging porch lights hang from the ceiling of the porch.
Similar to chandeliers, hanging porch lights hang from the ceiling of the porch.

Recessed lights are a modern style that are embedded into a ceiling. Recessed front porch lights are a great option for homes with large decks and porches that require several lights. These lights can be connected to dimmer switches, which can make the lights brighter or lower depending on personal preference.

Holiday porch light covers are a popular way to decorate a home or business. There are many types of porch light covers available. Some of the most popular include a snowman, scary ghosts, Santa Claus, and even a Thanksgiving turkey.

Holiday porch light covers can be made in shapes like those depicting Santa Claus.
Holiday porch light covers can be made in shapes like those depicting Santa Claus.

Porch swings are a great way to enjoy the outside. These swings come in many decorative fabrics and add some beauty to a front porch setting. A back porch swing set is great for kids and adults alike. Having a front porch light makes it easier to enjoy porch swings at night.

Automatic porch lights are a good lighting option for people who need more security in a home. These lights automatically turn on when it becomes dark and turn off with the sunrise. Automatic front porch lights use special photo censors that detect daylight, which turns the switch on or off.

Discussion Comments

Sporkasia

@Feryll - Bugs are more attracted to the bright white light than to colored bulbs. When I was a kid, I noticed that the outdoor produce stand where we would stop had yellow light bulbs. I asked the owner why he had the yellow bulbs and he told me he burned the yellow ones because they attracted fewer bugs.

You can also get tinted light covers that are supposed to keep the bugs away. I have never tried these.

Drentel

@Feryll - You say there are too many bugs on your front porch for you to sit out there at night. What you need to do is check the type of bulb you have in your fixture. Where bugs are concerned, the bub you are using makes a big difference.

Bugs are attracted to mercury based light bulbs. Check the bulb you are using and if it is mercury then you want to switch it out for a sodium based bulb. This should cut your bug population in half, and maybe even greater than that.

Feryll

The article makes a good point about how a front porch light can help you better enjoy a porch swing. We don't have a porch swing yet, but we enjoy sitting in the rockers we have on the front porch at night during the warm months and just relaxing. Unfortunately, the bugs seems to enjoy the porch as much as we do.

Most nights we have to either turn off the porch light and sit in the dark or simply give up and go inside because the bugs are dive bombing us constantly.

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    • Similar to chandeliers, hanging porch lights hang from the ceiling of the porch.
      By: Dmytro Smaglov
      Similar to chandeliers, hanging porch lights hang from the ceiling of the porch.
    • Holiday porch light covers can be made in shapes like those depicting Santa Claus.
      By: Kirill Kedrinski
      Holiday porch light covers can be made in shapes like those depicting Santa Claus.