Natural or man-made – which to go for? We all want light in our gardens but we might find it difficult to choose. Many of you might find it hard because of all the choices available, but we’re going to help you navigate it all. After reading this article, you won’t be left in the dark.
Other than where energy comes from, there are a number of basic differences between wired and solar lighting.
Money is something that has an effect on one’s decision. You could pay more money upfront for your best solar lights, yet they could save you on your electric bill. Wired lighting usually costs less than the solar option.
You’ve also got to take a minute to consider the ease of installation. Leave your wiring to a professional as it can be tricky business. Solar lights can be easily placed and then the hard part is over.
Considering maintenance is also important. How will your lights fare if they’re on the ground or will you need to set them up so they’re high up?
All of these are aspects that can affect one’s decision to go for wired or solar options.
Last but not least, the aesthetic is highly important. Fixtures look different and lights vary in tint. These are all factors to consider when making a purchase.
Solar Landscape Lighting
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Solar Landscape Lighting Pros
If you opt for a solar-powered type of landscape lighting, you will have endless energy supplied for lights which will work themselves. This means you won’t even have to turn them on and off if you don’t want to. It does sound like some sort of sci-fi film being played out, but it is all because these lights get their light from solar energy.
The process goes a little something like this:
- Sun hits the lighting fixture
- Energy is absorbed by the solar panels
- The energy absorbed is transferred, becoming stored within a battery.
- As the sun lowers, this decreases the amount of energy a panel can collect.
- Batteries kick in when energy levels decrease and your lights come on.
When the sun drops, lights come on. It’s that simple. Because these lights are made from LEDs, one can have their home brightened for many years to come, meaning a large reduction on your energy bill, saving you hundreds in cash every year.
One of the best things is that these lights can be installed very simply yourself. all you need is some fixtures and then a place to put them outdoors.
post path lightsspot solar lights
some solar lighting ideas to consider
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Solar Landscape Lighting Cons
It’s not all good though – there are some cons to solar lights. One of the biggest is that they need to be placed within highly sunny areas or they won’t shine very brightly at night. The conditions we mean are little or no shade throughout the day for optimal function.
Another problem is that they need to be cleaned regularly to work well. Even if you put them in the sunniest areas possible, they won’t function at their best unless they are spanking clean. Small particles, dust and dirt can block their ability to absorb energy.
Depending on your taste, the color is never quite the same as with wired lighting. These lights tend to produce a blue tint and some homeowners may find this off-putting. If you’re one of these then you may want to consider the pros and cons of wired lights.
Wired Landscape Lighting
Low voltage wired lighting for your garden will give you all the control of power at your fingertips. This is because you power all the lighting using electricity from your home. There are all sorts of ways of operating using switches, photocells and timers.
The first thing to do will be to wire everything to a transformer. You will have one main wire to connect them to.
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Wired Landscape Lighting Pros
There are numerous pros to using wires in order to brighten up a landscape. Let’s go through them and see what you think.
One thing’s clear, there’s control over when they are on and off. Self-operating photocells are also an option that can work well even during bad weather conditions. Both of these give one more options.
With wired lighting, the light you get is consistent and always the same brightness. Of course, the lights aren’t always perfect, but they will be consistent.
wired path lightingwired spot lighting
some solar lighting ideas to consider
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Wired Landscape Lighting Cons
All of the wires can be subject to damages – cuts, weather damage and even damage from animals biting them (you wouldn’t believe how bad rats are for this!) When you come across these situations, you’ll have to pay for repairs and this could always break the bank.
In conclusion
When it comes to solar vs electric landscape lights there is a lot to consider. Hopefully, now that you’ve read our info, you’ll know what to do. Best of luck and we hope to make the right decision.
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Image credit: choosing right landscaping lighting by Pixabay
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