Choosing the Best Solar Outdoor Lighting: Energy Products Articles: Eco20/20

Choosing the Best Solar Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting can add the perfect finishing touch to the beauty of your home and its landscaping. Unfortunately, it can also be expensive and difficult to install, not to mention the increase in your monthly electric bill involved in operating them. For years, homeowners have shied away from using solar lights because they aren't as bright as their traditional counterparts.

With new solar LED technology, the new lights are as bright as those conventionally used but with many benefits over regular electric lighting. First, there is no trenching or running of wires when installing solar outdoor lights. Simply select the type of mount you wish to use - ground stakes, hooks, or flange mounts - and place them where you want them. If you change your mind about placement at a later time, just move them. It's that easy. Affordable, easy to install, and free to operate, there is a solar lighting option for all your outdoor needs. Which ones are right for you? It largely depends on your needs.

If you only need to draw attention to special features of your yard, solar accent lighting is right for you. Accent lighting provides a soothing glow to your design. These are the lowest in both price and output. Because of this low output, accent lights often provide light for a much longer period on a single charge. They are very affordable and are available in a wide variety of colors and styles. From softly colored art-glass orbs around the edge of a pond or pool to old-fashioned lantern stakes illuminating a garden, the variety of uses is endless. Many of these solar accent lights use multi-crystalline cells that can charge themselves even in partially shaded areas or on cloudy days.

Solar path lighting is a medium-priced, medium-output choice that is perfect for marking pathways, borders or driveways where you need enough light to see by. Many of these have on/off switches to conserve charge when they aren't needed. Some varieties also have varied power settings or timers to extend your options for use.

The costliest and brightest output category of solar lighting is task lights or spotlights. These are the right choice for areas where security is a concern. The most common use of this type of lighting is to illuminate the home, thus eliminating the cover of darkness for intruders. Many solar spotlights have an output equal to a 40-watt incandescent bulb but are much more efficient and have a lower operating temperature than traditional bulbs.

Regardless of your specific needs, solar outdoor lighting offers you an eco-friendly and cost effective alternative to traditional choices. Whether you decide to use accent lights, path lights, spotlights, or a combination of them all, solar outdoor lighting is a dream come true. So easy to install that literally anyone can do it, Portable for those (like myself) who are always changing their minds. And, best of all, they are free to operate. With all these benefits, why would anyone want to stay with traditional electric outdoor lights?