Neighbour asking me to turn off outside security lights

[DLL1]

New neighbours have moved in next door to me and asked that I turn my security lights off at the night time. This is because they are (supposedly) shining into their landing and they sleep with the bedroom doors open and don't have a blind so it is going through into the bedroom.

They haven't said they will get a blind or curtain or shut their bedroom doors but want me to turn my lights off instead.

We have nothing but trees behind us so it's very dark without them on.

We have had the lights for 1 year and the family who have just moved out of that house never complained about the lights.

I turned them off last night when they asked but don't want to keep doing so as I paid a lot of money for them and like the garden to be lit up at night.

Am I being unreasonable if I refuse to turn them off during the night?

YABVU and anti-social. They don't need to be on all night. The nighttime is SUPPOSED to be dark! Yes even in the woods behind your house.

I suppose that's true, I quite honestly had no idea that light pollution was a thing

Your lights would be accidentally damaged if you lived next to me.
Irrespective of how much they cost, or how much little princess wanted her and my house lit up.
HTH, of course YABU.

It's been a thing at least since when dd was born and she's approaching 20 now! I think I first heard about it because we knew some astronomers, but I think I vaguely remember Patrick Moore mentioning it on The Sky at Night too.

Quite a lot of places now have bye laws regarding light pollution, especially light that points up. Our Council have replaced streetlights with ones which shed light towards the ground rather than the sky (why would you need streetlights which point up, anyway?!).

I bet if you went up a hill near you, you'd still see the lights of the nearest town, and that yellowish haze above it. That's light pollution. If you were to then look at your house from the hill, you'd see if light was being wasted going up into the atmosphere, rather than just on your garden, trees etc. You might be able to save a bit on your bills by adjusting the lights so that the photons are redirected to where you want them, I don't know.

I do know that when we want to see the shooting stars in August we don't have to drive anything like as far as we used to to get to a good place!

I really dislike wind chimes as well. Especially people who have a garden full of them clanging about.

Mine come on when a person or fox goes by but not for long and they are not near any neighbours. I would be reluctant to turn them off as they are very useful indeed at picking up on burglars in the night in the garden and that kind of thing. They are motion activated which is the best in my view.

@Jux
I love you just for using this key word (underlined):
You might be able to save a bit on your bills by adjusting the lights so that the photons are redirected to where you want them, I don't know.

But, otherwise, no. Saving on bills has to do with type of light bulb and light intensity, not where photons are aimed at.

The nighttime is SUPPOSED to be dark! Yes even in the woods behind your house.

In fact, particularly in the woods. It is likely to affect wild life and their circadian rhythms, hunting ability, etc.

YABVU. Motion sensor lights are fine, lights that are on the whole time are not fine and are actually incredibly selfish.

Dear @DesmondSwayne,

The OP replied yesterday to say she would turn the light off.

This has been pointed out several times.

I wonder how many other people are going to read the opening post, fail to read any updates from the OP, and tell her to do the thing she has already said she will do.

I feel for your neighbours, we had this with next door too before we moved House, it was always a blessing when they forgot to switch them on!

YABU, are you scared of the dark?? Turn them off. Get motion sensor ones if you really have too. I’d find the constant light really really annoying too

There's always one (or two!), SDTG

Lweji, thank you, I love you too. I may have been being slightly tongue in cheek in the attempt to save on energy bills....

What you want is more photons for less electrons.

WTF wouldntli leave the lights on all night?
Your poor neighbours have probably spent weeks agaonisinf about telling you. We have had to buy blinds for our house. The neighbour has a light that goes on and off every 5 mins. I like some light in my room but have had to settle for complete blackness. The neighbours at the room st the back have theirs so it lights up the glides opposite. The are arseholes who of you complained would just direct the light at you more. Your neighbours don’t know which type of arsehole you are yet. But are starting off that you are inconsiderate wankers with lights on all night. Light pollution and saving the planet.

I give up - I bet you do too, @Jux. How many times do people need to say that the OP has said she will turn the lights off before people stop commenting without at least bothering to read the OP’s updates!

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Cancel the cheque

I cant stand lights outdoors being left on overnight, there is no need for it and if the neighbours have complained you need to do something about it. Security lights are a pet hate of mine closely followed by wind chimes.

Lweji you're right. That's exactly what I want. I have instructed dd to build me a time machine which I shall use to venture into the future to gain the technology. I hope you realise that this is a serious effort on my part as I would have otherwise gone to witness the Crucifixion with my knitting needles.....

Well done OP for saying you'll do something about it.

The neighbours behind us used to leave their security lights on all night and as we stepped from our hallway into the kitchen, or from the back door into the garden, we would be dazzled by them. I had to buy a blackout blind for DS2's bedroom. I invited them round one night so they could see for themselves what it was like. They bought a sensor. Problem solved.