Motion Sensor Lighting in Northern Virginia | Expert Installation

Challenge

A family on a corner lot had three dark sides of their property after a series of car break-ins in the neighborhood. Their only exterior lighting was a single porch light by the front door, leaving the driveway, side yard, and backyard completely unlit. Their teenage children arrived home after evening activities to a dark house.

Solution

AJ Long Electric installed five motion-activated LED flood lights covering all four sides of the property: two on the garage for driveway coverage, one on each side yard, and one covering the rear patio and backyard. Each sensor was calibrated to avoid triggering on the adjacent sidewalk and street while covering the full property perimeter. We added a dusk-to-dawn photocell on the front porch light for constant entry illumination.

Challenge

A family with three young children had lights left on in every room of their townhome around the clock. The parents estimated lights were burning in empty rooms 8-10 hours per day, driving up electricity bills and creating a constant battle of reminding kids to turn off lights.

Solution

We replaced toggle switches with Lutron Maestro occupancy sensor switches in 8 locations: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the laundry room, garage entry, and walk-in pantry. Each sensor was configured with appropriate time delays -- 5 minutes for bathrooms and closets, 15 minutes for bedrooms -- and daylight cutoff so lights do not activate during bright daytime hours.

Challenge

The homeowner carried groceries through a dark garage and into a dark mudroom multiple times per week, fumbling for light switches with full hands. The garage light switch was inconveniently located on the far wall, and the mudroom switch was behind the door -- both impossible to reach while carrying bags.

Solution

AJ Long Electric installed ceiling-mounted occupancy sensor switches in both the garage and mudroom, replacing the wall switches with sensors that automatically activate when the door opens and someone enters. The garage sensor was set to a 10-minute delay for unloading, and the mudroom sensor to 5 minutes for pass-through traffic.

Challenge

An estate property with a 200-foot tree-lined driveway had no lighting between the street and the front door. Visitors and delivery drivers frequently could not find the entrance at night, and the homeowner felt vulnerable during the long dark walk from the detached garage to the front door.

Solution

We installed a sequenced motion sensor lighting system along the driveway: two motion-activated bollard lights at the street entrance, four motion flood lights mounted in trees along the driveway that activate in sequence as a vehicle approaches, and three wall-mounted motion lights on the house facade covering the entry, garage, and side path. All sensors were coordinated to create a wave of light that follows movement from the street to the door.