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Posts Tagged ‘solar lighting’

Suggestions for driveway lighting

June 2nd, 2010 No comments

Outdoor lighting can add functionality and curbside appeal to your home.  Some of the most popular forms of outside lights are driveway lights. These can help to define your driveway boundaries, illuminate the drive for better visibility when getting out of your car and most are inexpensive and easy to install.  Versions available include solar powered as well as traditional hardwired lights.

Solar powered lights are one of the cheapest driveway light and they are easy to install.  These models have no wires to install and simply push into the ground next to your driveway.  During the day they charge and at night they automatically turn on to give off a soft glow.  Solar lights retail for about 40 to 60 dollars for a four piece set.  Models that are made of metal or with added features can go for more.  The big drawback to solar lighting is that it isn’t very bright.

If you need more light or want a higher quality light with more longevity, traditional hardwired lights are the way to go.  These are wired into your existing electrical system and the light given off is very bright.  Bulbs in these types of lights are usually easier to change than solar lights.  They retail for the same prices as solar lights however most are more expensive going for 100 dollars apiece.  Most are made of metal instead of plastic.  The drawback to these lights is that they have to be wired into your home.  If you aren’t familiar with wiring and electrical work, you will have to hire it done.  There is also digging involved to bury wires for the lights.  They would also be running off the power from your home increasing your energy bill.

Drive way lights are a nice accent to any home.  The entry to your house is the first impression people will get of you and your home so it is good to make it look nice.  Lights of either solar or hardwired variety can be very inexpensive however you should be sure what you want out of a light.  Solar ones do not give off a lot of light and hardwired ones can be pricey and difficult to install.

Outdoor Lighting: Solar garden lights

March 6th, 2010 No comments

Solar garden lights are commonly used in lighting outdoor areas of your home. These kind of lights are almost maintenance-free, inexpensive to use and easy to install. After buying this kind of lighting you would only need to spend for replacement batteries.

Probably the only disadvantage of using them would be that they need to be situated somewhere that they would be receiving a lot of sunlight in the day. So if you have a pathway or garden which is shaded, the solar aspect might not work very well for you.

If you still want to use them on a shaded area, then you could probably install a solar panel on top of your roof or in any other spot that would receive a lot of sunlight. This would be a bit more expensive compared the regular solar lights and you would need to run a wire coming from the solar panel going to the lights.

Typically this type of solar lighting could provide around six to twelve hours of light in the evening. This would, of course, depend on the amount of sunlight they received in the day. These lights have a photo sensor, which is already built in and turns the light on as soon as it is dark. They would remain lit up until their batteries are depleted or as the sun rises, whichever would come first. If you need more control many of them have automatic override switches allowing you manual control over the lights features.

Solar decorative garden lights come in a very wide variety of different sizes and styles. You would be able to buy solar spotlights, hanging solar lights for the garden and even specialty lights like swimming pool lights and colored lights. They are available at reasonable prices, however it is always advisable to look for the quality lights instead of just settling for those that are the cheapest. Those cheaper sets of lights might not be able to withstand different weather elements such as extreme storm conditions as well as strong winds.