Tips For Illuminating Your Yard With Solar Landscape Lights
Posted on: 22 January 2015
Solar energy has a lot of beneficial uses, and one of them is how it makes installing landscape lighting so much easier. Solar power is ideal for outdoor lights because you won't have to bury electrical cords or place the lights near a traditional source of power. Plus, there are many kinds of solar lights you can buy to decorate your yard to give it nice visual appeal as well as light and security. Here are some things to know about installing solar landscape lights.
Stake Lights Need Full Sun
Solar stake lights are perfect for lining a walkway. They are very easy to install. All you have to do is press the stake into the ground and screw on the light fixture. The solar panel will be on top of the light. It collects power from the sun during the and transmits it to the battery, so the light can shine at night.
To get the best performance, plant the stake lights in full sun. Watch the sun progress across your yard during the day, so you can avoid placing the stakes in areas where shade falls from trees or your house. The lights need about 8 hours of full sun to provide around 8 hours of illumination at night. If it is rainy, or if you live in an area that is not very sunny, the lights won't burn as long, or they will not burn as bright.
Compensate For Reduced Illumination
Solar lights tend to be dimmer than electrical lights. When you plan your project, you may want to install twice as many solar lights as you would electrical ones in order to get the same degree of illumination. You could also consider buying the more expensive solar lights, since higher priced units usually have larger bulbs and better cells, so they produce brighter light.
You can buy solar spotlights and solar motion detecting lights for landscaping lights that provide home security too. However, it's important to remember the lights may not function if you have several days of rainy weather and little to no sun. If lighting for home security is an important issue, you may want to include a few emergency lights that run on battery or electrical power.
Solar Lights For Shady Areas
If you have a lot of trees that keep your yard shady most of the day, you can still install solar powered lights if you want to do a little more work. You may need to hire a solar energy contractor like DFW Solar Electric to do the job for you since it requires installing a solar panel on your roof. As long as the panel receives sun most of the day, you'll be able to run connections from it to lights placed in your yard, even the ones underneath shade trees. Other solar lights come with something that looks like an extension cord. You can plant the stake in the shade and place the solar cell a few feet away in the sun. This may not be a practical solution if you have several lights, because you would also have several solar cells scattered around your yard.
While it is very easy to install solar stake lights yourself, you may need to call a solar energy professional if you want to illuminate a shady yard or rely on solar power for home security. Landscape lighting adds warmth and character to your property at night, and once your system is installed, you'll be able to enjoy outdoor lighting that doesn't drive up your energy bill.
Share