Solar Lighting Offers
Versatility for Outdoor Lighting
Solar lighting is becoming
the choice for most landscapers who install outdoor lighting these days because
it’s versatile, easy to install and inexpensive. The savings over the cost of traditional electrical
lighting can be passed on to customers.
The easy installation of solar lighting means homeowners can easily add
much needed outdoor lighting anywhere they need it without having to worry
about electrical wiring or a power source.
There are several types of
solar lighting available for landscape lighting, all of which work on the same
premise. A small solar chip in the top
of each light fixture absorbs and stores energy from the sun in a tiny battery
chip. This energy is then used to fuel
either incandescent or LED lights for several hours after the sun goes
down. In most cases, solar lighting
comes on automatically when it is dark outside.
These lights have a built-in light meter that indicates when the
lighting is needed. There are some cases,
however, when the light doesn’t come on unless triggered by motion in order to
conserve energy.
Decorative Solar Lighting
Decorative solar lighting comes in a variety of
shapes, sizes and styles to coordinate with your décor. Some of the most popular include metal
finishes such as copper, brushed nickel and bronze. These are generally LED lights mounted on
short posts that can be stuck into the ground around flower beds, water
features and the edge of your home to give soft, low lighting. Most of them will stay on until well past
midnight, but may fade toward morning if the day has been
overcast.
Because these run on a solar
energy, you can put decorative solar lighting almost any place where the sun
will hit the lights at least a few hours a day.
Simply stick the post into the ground and forget about it. These are wonderful to light the edge of your
property or to softly illuminate a garden.
Pathway Solar Lighting
Pathway lights are similar to decorative lighting,
although not all pathway lights are mounted on stakes. Some may be installed in the lower part of
deck railings or other features. The key
is that pathway lighting is meant to illuminate the path at your feet so that
it’s easier to walk around in the dark.
Most pathway solar lighting is installed no higher than a foot off the
ground so that it clearly lights your way.
Try lining your sidewalk, walkways and any frequently visited areas of
your garden with outdoor lighting to give your guests an invitation to wander
freely.
Spotlight Solar Lighting
Solar spotlights differ from
decorative or pathway lighting because the solar panel is usually separate from
the light itself. Because brighter light
is needed for a spotlight, a larger solar cell is needed to provide the energy
required. The solar light is often
connected by a short, insulated wire to a separate stake that has a flat solar
chip on top. You simply install each
spotlight in an area where you can position both stakes close together. This allows you to position the light in any
position at any angle in order to best highlight whatever area you’re
spotlighting, while the solar chip stays flat in order to collect the optimum
amount of sunlight.
Solar spotlights are a great
way to light up your house at night or highlight a garden sculpture or water
feature. Spotlights are much brighter
than pathway lights, so install them sparingly in order to draw attention to
particular features.
Security Solar Lighting
You can install solar
security lighting around your home just as easily as you can any other type of
solar lighting. These outdoor lights are
meant to come on only when needed rather than automatically when the light
fades, so they will last quite a while on a single solar charge.
These are generally motion
detector lights. They will automatically
come on whenever the built-in motion sensitive chip is activated. By positioning a few of these on the edges of
your home and at the beginning of your path to the door, you can prevent
intruders from approaching your house at night without being caught in a flood
of light. Installing one or two security
solar lighting fixtures on your porch also provides lots of light when you come
home and may be fumbling for your keys.
No more need to leave the porch light on while you’re away!
You can easily install any
kind of outdoor lighting you like and at a very reasonable cost if you choose
solar lighting for your landscape lighting needs.
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