Solar Garden Lights vs Low Voltage Lighting

a guest post by Ezra Makey

Out of the two options for landscape lighting, most people will find themselves choosing between solar garden lights and low voltage lighting. Both have their upsides, as well as their drawbacks, so which do you choose? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and pitfalls of each, so you can make up your own mind as to which will work best for you.

Solar Lights

Solar garden lighting is best used if you plan on having the lights stay on all night. The main reason for this is that, since it is completely powered by the sun, they don’t cost you any money to run. Although they usually cost a little more than low voltage lighting to purchase, they more than pay for themselves with the savings to your energy bill.

Solar powered garden lights are also a lot easier to install. Most come with the solar panel built right into the fixture, and even those with an external, remote panel will be much easier to install than lights that need to be wired to an external power source. They also have lower maintenance costs since most use LED bulbs, which are manufactured to last much longer than other types of bulbs.

These fixtures do come with their drawbacks, however. The two biggest of which are light output and the fact that they rely on the sun. If you need a fixture that puts out a lot of light, or have issues with lacking enough sunlight to be able to recharge the on-board batteries, solar garden light will likely not be your best alternative.

Low Voltage Lighting

Low voltage lighting has the ability to put out a lot more light than solar lights, due to the fact that they do not have to worry about running the batteries dead. They can also be used in areas that do not have access to a lot of sun. They do, however, have an impact on your electrical bill, and some models can influence your bill significantly. They are also much more difficult to install, since they must be wired to a power source.

If you are looking for accent lighting to add beauty to your garden, or another type of light that does not need to be too bright, AND you get regular sunlight throughout the year, solar lights are probably your best bet. If, however, you need more light than the solar fixtures can create, or don’t get much sunlight, you may have to opt for low voltage lighting.

There are actually hybrid systems available that can offer the best of both worlds, but these systems are in their infancy and still out of reach of your average do-it-yourself homeowner. But once they do come onto the market it will be interesting to see how effective the combination of low voltage and sun-powered solar lights for garden budget lighting will be.

In this day and age, people are looking to save money.  With the economy receding more and more each day, one of the biggest concerns on people’s minds is energy costs.  More than ever before, people are turning to free sources of energy.  Perhaps the most abundant source of free energy out there is the sun.  And the power of the sun and it’s money-saving benefits can easily be harnessed by using solar lights.

Solar power has made great leaps and bounds in the past few years, and has become much more commonplace.  Just a few years ago, solar powered lights were a rarity, and were quite expensive.  But today, more and more people are reaping the benefits of solar lighting.

Obviously, solar lighting requires the actual lights to be in the sun, which limits any form of solar lighting to outdoor lighting.  However, outdoor lighting accounts for a large percentage of energy costs, and solar outdoor lighting can make a drastic difference on your electricity bill.

Solar lights can be found today in an abundance of styles, designs, and applications.  You can find solar landscape lights that are just as attractive and sleek as regular outdoor lights. You can even get a hold of solar powered Christmas lights.  Now, these won’t save you a ton on your December electric bill, but every little bit counts!

Solar lights usually need to charge for about 12 hours a day, and then switch on automatically at nightfall via a photosensitive switch.  They use low consumption ultra bright bulbs called LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) for maximum efficiency.  Different models of solar outdoor lights contain different quantities of LEDs, and the more they have the more light they will produce.

LED bulbs will generally last for 8 to 10 years, and the rechargeable solar battery will need replacement approximately every 2 to 3 years.

One of the major benefits of solar powered garden lights is that they don’t need to be plugged in.  One of the biggest challenges in outdoor landscape lighting is trying to route the extension cord from an electrical outlet to the lights themselves.  Even then, the cord needs to be concealed so that it’s both safe and aesthetically pleasing.  But with solar garden lighting, there’s no cord, so they can be placed anywhere with no hassle.

By using solar power lights, you’ll also contribute to a cleaner environment in addition to saving money.  Conventional methods of energy production, such as oil and coal energy, cause pollution and drain the Earth’s natural resources.

The recent economic downturn has been said to be caused in part by our increasing dependency on oil, and much effort and research has gone into improving things like solar and wind power.  Expect solar light and other solar powered items to continue to improve in the coming years.

Many people wonder, do outdoor solar lights really work?

Well, they certainly do work.  However, you need to make sure that you buy from a quality source. The top companies are: Volt, Nightscaping, RAB, Kichler, Highpoint, Focus, Kim Lighting, Hadco, and Westinghouse solar lights.  There have been some complaints about Hampton Bay solar lights.

The second point is that they need to be placed in a well lit are.  If they are placed in the shade they won’t charge, and if they are placed near a shady area it will affect their performance.  People in places that get very overcast by day may find solar garden lights to be an impractical option.
In many cases, the problems that people experience with solar powered lighting are due to improper care.  Solar panels need to be cleaned regularly, so that the dust that accumulates on them won’t block out that precious sunlight.

All sorts of outdoor lighting are available in the solar form.  From industrial solar lights, to solar deck lights, security lights, even solar powered Christmas lights are available.  In short, if you have a lighting need, you can almost certainly find solar lights that will be a perfect fit.