Security Lighting in Rohnert Park & Sonoma County
A real, credible strategy — not just a bright light — grounded in established crime-prevention design, from a licensed local electrical contractor.
Why Sonoma County Homes & Businesses Call Bright Right First
- We design around CPTED, a real, established crime-prevention framework — not just "buy the brightest light."
- We're honest about what lighting can and can't do, and how landscaping plays a real role too.
- Licensed, insured, and available 24/7 — call (707) 791-5552 any time your project needs an electrician on-site.
★★★★★
5.0 · 27 Google reviews
20+ years
in the trade
CSLB #1156335
licensed · bonded · insured
Sonoma County
owned & operated
Security Lighting
Why Sonoma County Chooses Bright Right
- Local, family-owned electrical contractor based right in Rohnert Park — not a call center routing you to a subcontractor.
- Straightforward answers on placement, strategy, and cost, explained before you sign anything.
- CSLB-licensed (#1156335) and available around the clock for anything that comes up along the way.
Security Lighting
What Is Security Lighting?
Security lighting covers the broader deterrence and visibility purpose behind a property's exterior lighting — distinct from the fixture itself (covered on our Flood Light Installation page) and the control technology that triggers it (covered on our Motion Sensor Lighting page). Real security lighting is a whole-property strategy, not a single bright fixture — and it's grounded in a genuinely credible, established framework: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).
Bright Right Electric designs and installs security lighting for homeowners across Sonoma County, as a CSLB-licensed electrical contractor (#1156335) based right in Rohnert Park.
Security Lighting
Our Process
A security lighting project moves through the same core stages:
01
Property Assessment
We walk your property to identify entry points, blind spots, and existing coverage gaps.
02
Priority Zone Identification
We map out the areas that matter most under real crime-prevention design principles.
03
Fixture & Control Selection
We recommend the right fixture types and control methods for each zone.
04
Entrapment-Spot Review
We flag any landscaping or obstructions that could undermine your lighting's effectiveness.
05
Installation
We install and aim each fixture for real, effective coverage.
06
Testing
We test the full layout after dark to confirm it actually achieves what you need.
Security Lighting
How Much Does Security Lighting Cost?
Cost depends on how many zones and fixtures your property's layout actually calls for — a focused entry-point project costs less than a full-property, multi-zone strategy.
Security Lighting
The Real Framework Behind Good Security Lighting
This is worth knowing before you buy anything: effective security lighting is grounded in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), an established strategy for reducing crime opportunities by modifying the physical environment. CPTED's core principles include natural surveillance (designing spaces so people can see and be seen), natural access control, territorial reinforcement, and ongoing maintenance. Lighting plays a central role specifically within natural surveillance — the idea that a potential offender is less likely to act if they risk being observed.
Where to Actually Prioritize Lighting
Under CPTED's natural surveillance principle, the real priority isn't lighting your entire yard uniformly — it's covering the areas that matter most:
- Entry points — your front door, back door, and garage, the most likely areas for unauthorized entry.
- Blind spots — side yards or areas naturally hidden from street or neighbor view.
- Approach pathways — walkways and driveways where visibility matters as people move toward your home.
How Bright Does It Need to Be?
Rather than chasing a specific lumen number, established crime-prevention design guidance points to a more useful, concrete standard: lighting should be bright enough that a person's face can be observed at a normal viewing distance along pathways and at entry points. This is a genuinely more actionable target than just "make it bright."
The Entrapment Spot Problem
This is a real, often-overlooked point: a bright light next to a good hiding spot doesn't accomplish much. "Entrapment spots" — hiding places created by dense, untrimmed landscaping or tall hedges near windows and doors — undermine even well-placed lighting. Trimming landscaping near entry points is a genuine, low-cost complement to any lighting investment, not an afterthought.
Does Lighting Actually Deter Crime? An Honest Answer
It's worth being direct here rather than overselling: real research has found a genuine connection — one study (Painter, 1994) found that adding street lighting specifically to improve surveillance was associated with a decrease in burglaries and property crimes. That's a real, credible finding, but it's worth understanding correctly: lighting is one credible layer within a broader, established strategy, not a standalone guarantee. The honest answer is that good security lighting genuinely helps as part of a real, layered approach.
The Over-Lighting Risk
It's worth being honest about the other side of this too: more or brighter lighting isn't automatically better. Poorly-aimed or excessive lighting can create harsh shadows and glare that actually aid concealment rather than eliminate it — this is exactly why beam angle and thoughtful placement matter as much as raw brightness, a point covered in more depth on our Flood Light Installation page.
Security Lighting
What's Included
Security lighting often works alongside these related services, each with its own dedicated page for more detail:
Flood Light Installation
Flood light installation covers the fixture type most commonly used for security lighting, with real lumen and beam angle guidance.
Motion Sensor Lighting
Motion sensor lighting covers the control technology that can trigger security fixtures automatically, including real placement and calibration guidance.
Landscape Lighting
Landscape lighting covers aesthetic exterior lighting that can complement a security strategy, working alongside proper landscaping maintenance.
Outdoor Lighting and Power
Outdoor lighting and power covers the weatherproof circuits behind any exterior security fixture, sized correctly for your home's electrical panel.
Lighting Repair
Lighting repair covers diagnosing and fixing a security fixture that's stopped working correctly, protecting the coverage your property depends on.
Lighting Installation
Lighting installation covers our full range of residential lighting services, for homeowners planning security lighting as part of a broader project.
Security Lighting
Why Sonoma County Chooses Bright Right Electric
We design to a real, credible framework, not a sales pitch.
CPTED's real principles guide where and how we place fixtures — not just "add more lights."
We're honest about what lighting can and can't do.
We won't oversell you on a guaranteed outcome — we explain the real, credible research and its real limits.
We think about landscaping, not just fixtures.
Entrapment spots undermine even great lighting — we flag them as part of every assessment.
We're licensed, insured, and available 24/7.
As a CSLB-licensed contractor (#1156335), we're reachable at (707) 791-5552 any time your project needs an electrician on-site.
08 ─────── Reviews
What Rohnert Park Customers Are Saying
"This is the most professional company I have ever worked with. I am a difficult person and hard to please (I have really high standards (as a retired science teacher) and I am skeptical of workmen and I'm a perfectionist!). Bright Right is currently working on the 3rd job I have hired them for – everything has gone smoothly, no stress at all!!! They are so friendly and so courteous. Rick and Dustin are an effective team with their two unique personalities – both very upbeat, serious, and kind. They explain everything in detail and answer all my questions (I am hyper-concerned about my property), and they are basically experienced, conscientious electricians you can trust."
— Nora Parker · Google Review
"I recently hired Dustin for some electrical work at my home, and I couldn't be happier with the results. He installed a high-quality bathroom fan, finished installing several outlets around the house, and completed a new electrical panel installation. From start to finish, Dustin was professional, knowledgeable, and clearly takes pride in doing the job right. The new panel installation was the bigger job, and Dustin handled it with real expertise. Everything was organized, labeled, and done to a very high standard, which gave me a lot of confidence in the safety and quality of the work."
— Google Review
"Bright Right did the electrical for our kitchen remodel and we couldn't be happier, we have since then added an EV with them and they were as good as the first time. Highly recommend!"
— Joey Evans · Google Review
"Shout out to Dustin Fildes, the electrician they sent to do the work at my house. You can tell he takes pride in his work. He's a very professional and very friendly. Individual would absolutely recommend Bright Right Electric and specifically Dustin to all my family and friends. Thank you Bright Right"
— Robert Horner, Google Review
Google Business Profile
5.0
Across 27 Google reviews
Security Lighting
Serving Sonoma County Homes & Businesses
Bright Right Electric is based at 1150 Holly Ave in Rohnert Park, and we install accent lighting for homes and businesses throughout Sonoma County — from Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa to Petaluma and the surrounding communities along the Highway 101 corridor. Whatever feature you want highlighted, we bring the right technique to the job.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Does outdoor lighting actually deter crime?
There's real, credible research supporting a connection — one study (Painter, 1994) found that adding street lighting to improve surveillance was associated with a decrease in burglaries and property crimes. It works best as one part of a broader, established strategy rather than a standalone guarantee.
What is CPTED?
CPTED, or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, is an established strategy that reduces crime opportunities by modifying the physical environment. Its core principles include natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance.
Where should security lights be placed around a house?
Priority should go to entry points — front door, back door, and garage — along with any side yards or blind spots naturally hidden from street or neighbor view.
How bright should security lighting be?
A useful target is whether a person's face can be clearly observed along a pathway or at an entry point at a normal viewing distance — a more concrete standard than chasing a specific lumen number.
What is natural surveillance in crime prevention?
Natural surveillance is a core CPTED principle that designs spaces so people can see and be seen, discouraging crime since potential offenders risk being observed.
Security lighting vs. flood lights — what's the difference?
Flood lights are a specific fixture type. Security lighting is the broader purpose or strategy, which can use flood lights, motion sensors, or other fixtures as part of a whole-property plan.
Can too much outdoor lighting be a problem?
Yes. Over-lighting or poorly-aimed fixtures can create harsh shadows and glare that actually aid concealment rather than eliminate it — beam angle and placement matter as much as raw brightness.
What is an entrapment spot?
An entrapment spot is a hiding place created by dense, untrimmed landscaping or tall hedges near windows and doors — even a bright light nearby doesn't help much if a good hiding spot remains.
How much does security lighting installation cost?
Cost depends on how many zones and fixtures your property's layout calls for — a focused entry-point project costs less than a full-property, multi-zone strategy.
Do police offer free home security assessments?
Many police departments and municipalities offer CPTED-based security assessments — worth checking what's available locally in addition to a professional lighting design consultation.
Get in touch
Ready to Talk Through Your Project?
Call (707) 791-5552 or fill out the form below and we'll follow up with real design guidance for whatever you want to highlight.
Phone
(707) 791-5552
(tap to call)
Address
1150 Holly Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Hours
7am - 5pm & 24 hour emergency services available.
15 ─────── Full service detail
Electrical Panel Upgrades in Rohnert Park
Replacing an undersized or obsolete panel is the most common job we perform in Rohnert Park, and it's the one that unlocks everything else. If your home still runs original 100-amp service, a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, or a Zinsco panel, you're working with equipment engineered for a much smaller electrical load — and, in the case of those two brands, with a documented history of breakers that fail to trip. Upgrading to 200-amp service makes EV charging, battery backup, heat pumps, and modern appliance loads possible without constantly tripping breakers. We size the new service to what your household actually needs, pull the permit, coordinate the PG&E disconnect and reconnect, and meet the inspector for final sign-off.
EV Charger Installation in Sonoma County
Bright Right installs Level 2 home charging sized to your vehicle and, just as importantly, to your panel's actual available capacity. We run the dedicated 240-volt circuit, mount and commission the charger, and handle the permit — installing Tesla Wall Connectors, universal J1772 and NACS units, and hardwired or plug-in setups across Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and Santa Rosa. The detail most homeowners don't hear until it's too late is that many Sonoma County panels can't support a Level 2 charger without a service upgrade first, so we run a load calculation before you buy equipment, not after. We can also pre-wire a second circuit if a second EV is anywhere in your future.
Standby Generators & Backup Power
Public safety power shutoffs are a fact of life in Sonoma County, and so are winter storms that take lines down in the hills. We install whole-house standby generators with automatic transfer switches that pick up the house within seconds of an outage, wire inlets and manual transfer switches for portable generators, and add whole-house surge protection so your equipment isn't damaged when the utility comes back online. We'll also tell you honestly which tier makes sense — not every home in Cotati or Penngrove needs a whole-house unit when a critical-loads panel that keeps the refrigerator, well pump, internet, and a few circuits alive costs a fraction as much.
Solar & Battery Systems
We handle new photovoltaic installation, battery storage, system additions, and remove-and-replace work when a roof needs attention or a system has failed — plus service on existing arrays that aren't producing what they should. If you inherited a solar system with the house and nobody can tell you how it's wired or whether it's still under warranty, we can assess it and give you a clear picture. Battery storage in particular has changed the math for Sonoma County homeowners: between shifting utility rate structures under NEM 3.0 and the frequency of outages, a battery paired with existing solar is often a better investment than adding more panels.
Interior & Exterior Lighting
Recessed and can lighting, full LED retrofits, under-cabinet lighting, dimmer and smart-switch installation, fixture and chandelier hanging, landscape lighting, and security and motion-sensor lighting for homes across Rohnert Park and the University District. On the commercial side we handle lighting retrofits for offices, retail spaces, and warehouses along the Commerce Boulevard corridor, including the fixture and control changes that come with California Title 24 compliance. Lighting is one of the few electrical upgrades where the difference is immediately visible, and it's frequently the cheapest way to make a dated room feel finished.
Electrical Troubleshooting & Repair
Breakers that trip for no obvious reason, circuits that go dead, lights that flicker when the dryer starts, outlets that no longer hold a plug, GFCIs that won't reset, a faint burning smell you can't locate. These are the calls where experience shows. We trace a fault to its real source instead of swapping parts and billing for guesses, which is why our repairs hold and why we get called in behind other contractors who couldn't find the problem. In older Sonoma County homes the cause is often a failing backstab connection, a corroded neutral, a rodent-damaged run in a crawlspace, or a decades-old junction box buried behind drywall.
Custom Homes & New Construction
Full electrical for ground-up residential builds, major remodels, and additions throughout Sonoma, Marin, and Napa County — load calculations and plan review, service and meter setup, rough-in, trim, and final inspection. We work with general contractors, designers, and owner-builders, and we're comfortable on high-end custom projects near Sonoma State University where the lighting design, low-voltage layout, and smart controls all have to be coordinated before a single wire goes in. Getting the details right at rough-in is what keeps a home safe and functional for the next forty years — and it's far cheaper than fixing it after the drywall is up.
Commercial Electrical & Tenant Improvement
Service upgrades, panel and subpanel work, dedicated circuits for equipment, lighting retrofits, EV charging for employee and customer parking, and full tenant-improvement electrical for offices, retail, restaurants, and light industrial space along Redwood Drive and beyond. We understand a commercial job runs on someone else's schedule, so we work around business hours when the scope requires it. From a single dedicated circuit to a complete build-out, you get one licensed contractor coordinating permits, PG&E, and inspection — with clear pricing and a clean, code-compliant result.