Why Solar Lights are a Great Bargin

In the last few years, solar lights have begun to come into their own. Previously, the best you could hope for with a solar light was the pale weak glow lining the walkway of your home. That is no longer the case when it comes to solar lighting. With the improvements in led lighting and the new more efficient solar panels, you can now purchase a wide variety of solar lights. These lights come in a multitude of styles, colors, shapes and functions. The need of a large electrical panel and extension cords is now a thing of the past.

Though solar lights have improved, it would be wrong to say they are without issues. First and foremost, all solar lights have one common need that if neglected, will make them utterly useless for any lighting purpose. Solar lights need sunlight, so if you live in deep snow country where the panels are covered by snow, then solar lights are of no use during the winter months. Furthermore, if you don’t receive at least eight hours of indirect sunlight or three hours of direct sunlight, you will not be able to enjoy the full potential of solar lighting. Additionally, placing your solar lights in places that will flood on a regular basis will shorten the lifespan of your solar lights.

Despite these shortcomings, solar lights have quite a few advantages. First and foremost, solar lights once installed and fully charged will run for up to 15 hours at a time, without a single penny in electrical costs. Next, since you have no outlets to locate or power cords to run, solar lights can be placed just about anywhere. They are also very easy to relocate and in most cases, it takes only a few minutes to setup your solar lights. In addition, there are no light switches to flip, timers to set as most solar lights have an automatic light detector that will automatically turn on your lights at dusk.

Types of Solar Lighting

Obviously, the most popular type of solar lighting would be the Christmas category. In this category you can find almost anything you can imagine attached to a solar panel. At our house we frequently buy the 100 led bulb solar strings that we spread around our yard and in fact, use these strings of bulbs to decorate a small tree in our yard as our outside Christmas tree. There are clear and multi-light strings, solar wreaths, and nets of led bulbs, small trees and even snowmen all of which run on solar energy. Another item of note: if you are reading this article after the first of the year, most solar Christmas lights will be on sale, so check them out and you may save a few extra dollars.

Another category of solar lighting that is very popular is the garden or yard lighting. In this category, you will find driveway markers for those who have long isolated driveways or even just want to mark which drive is theirs among the multitude of driveways. There are the familiar landscape lights, which due to significant improvements in technology, work much better than they ever have. For those of use who wish to make a statement, you can buy a solar lamppost, which can be set up in just an hour or two and can be used to impress you neighbors.

If you are concerned about who is moving about your property, there are a number of security options available in solar lighting. First you can line your driveway with motion detectors that will light up whenever someone enters your drive. On the same track, you can buy a solar driveway alert system that will signal you when someone enters your drive. You can buy solar floodlights with motion detectors, but if you live in a rural area with deer and pigs running about, this maybe something you will want to pass on.

No matter what you decide, solar lighting can be a cheap and practical method to improving your holiday decorations, landscaping or even your security. Your biggest problem will be where to start.

Enjoy!