Curb appeal is important when selling a home and adding landscape lighting is one way to make sure that the home stands out to potential buyers. Any homeowner can install landscape lights that are solar powered with nothing more than some elbow grease and a Saturday afternoon.

First, a trip to the home improvement store will reveal many different types of solar landscape lighting options. The easiest to install are the stake lights that are used to light up pathways and driveways. The lights that are purchased should complement the house, not overpower it. Selling a house is not the time to install fairies and gnomes, stick to traditional and simple.

One the lights have been purchased, the pathway should be clearly delineated. Hopefully there are pathway stones, if not, they should be considered a necessary part of the home improvement project and added. Install the stake lighting by pushing the stakes into the ground in evenly spaced intervals. Follow the pathway from the beginning of the driveway to the front porch area. If there is room, the solar stake lights can be installed on both sides of the pathway markers, alternating sides as the path is followed.

This simple yet effective lighting project will make the house more appealing to potential buyers. They will see that not only is the path safe to navigate, the yard has a nice appeal to it when darkness arrives and visitors come to the house. Using the solar version also lets potential buyers know they have outside light without increasing their power bill. The best part is that even if the house does not sell the outdoor lighting will be in place and beautiful for the current homeowners to enjoy.

-Sharon Chapman

Solar stepping-stones for pathways are one of the most creative new uses of solar energy. These injection mold-created pathway markers have solar lighting designed into the stone. The inclusion of a light sensor allows these stones to become luminous when night falls. The stones appear to magically light up and allow people to see the way to their destination one-step at a time until the door home is opened. These pathway markers are heavy duty to withstand heavy traffic and contain batteries that store the energy collected from the sun for up to 8 hours at a time.

Plant light rings that are solar powered are a unique and interesting way to add light to the landscape in a subtle yet artistic manner. These rings fit around the base of plants and are a great way to provide uplight that enhances the plant while at the same time providing lighting to the area. The solar panel can be located away from the plant and connected to the light using an attached cord that can be discreetly placed out of sight.

Solar powered butterfly and firefly lights are an attractive and creative way to add light to the garden. They are available in a variety of sizes and are stake lights that appear to take flight when night comes and the sun goes down. Butterfly and dragonfly lights bring multi-colored light to the landscape and help to create a fantasy garden to be enjoyed by homeowners and guests. Like the other solar lights that are available, during the day the butterflies gather the sun’s power and convert it to energy that is stored in Nickel Cadmium batteries.

The constant theme throughout any landscape light that is solar powered is it having the solar panels needed to gather the sun’s energy, the mechanism needed to transform that energy into stored energy in the batteries and the photocell to tell the battery when to power on and when to power off. Solar powered lights provide lighting in the garden without providing extremely high power bills at the same time.

-Sharon Chapman

Solar power conserves the Earth’s natural resources and is the perfect answer for outdoor lighting. This type of power essentially allows the Sun to light up both the day and the night sky. Solar panels located on or near the lights collect the Sun’s energy during the day. This energy is transformed into usable power and stored in batteries. When darkness comes, a photocell recognizes this and powers the light on, when daylight comes the light powers off.

There are no electrical wires to install and no high power bills to cope with every month. The only expense involved is the initial purchase of the lighting kits. In the past, solar power was considered expensive to install, however, technology has changed and the solar light kits are less expensive than ever before. Home improvement stores typically carry solar light kits that are simple to install and inexpensive enough for most homeowners to be able to afford.

Solar lighting is available in post lights that have stakes that easily insert into the ground for pathway lights, deck lighting that can be installed on posts or mounted on walls and in pathway stones that light up at night. There are floodlights that are both solar and motion activated. Many of these have solar panels that can be placed further away from the light and yet still power the light. These types of solar lights can be used in areas that are less than sunny and yet still obtain their power from the sun.

Solar lighting options such as those with distant collector panels and easy to install stake lights have made it possible for practically any homeowner to discover the power of solar lighting. People who choose to install solar lighting are also making a responsible choice in energy use. These people are choosing to use the energy of the sun rather than coal, oil, or gas. These energy choices are quickly becoming depleted.

Solar lighting for the garden gives homeowners options for lighting the garden without breaking their bank accounts. This lighting option is an inexpensive, easy-to-install, natural way to bring the garden to life at night and make it safe to enjoy pathways and outdoor features of the yard.

-Sharon Chapman

The cost factor is typically what draws homeowners to solar lighting during the design of their landscape plan. Electrical lighting for the garden and other outdoor areas requires the electrical contractors who know how to run wired under the ground or overhead, not an inexpensive task to say the least. In addition, electrical wiring can be damaged by weather or animals, which then requires the return of an electrical contractor to find and repair the problem.

On the other side of this scenario are solar lighting installations. These can often be performed by the homeowner with a little pre planning to determine where the lights will be installed. There may also be the need for the help of a landscaper to hide any wires that connect remote solar panels to lights that are installed in shady areas.

Unlike electrical lights that can be damaged by the water or animals, there are no wires, except for remote panel lights, to be concerned with. Typically, the most severe problem encountered by homes with solar garden lights are battery and bulb replacement and keeping the solar panels cleaned to insure maximum collection of the sun’s energy.

Solar outdoor lights for use in the garden have become the popular choice for many homeowners who want to extend the daylight hours and have light spill over into their garden or patio area. Lighting these areas allows for entertaining of family and friends when the weather is perfect and creates a romantic area for couples to enjoy in the evening.

These lights can also be used in practically any outside lighting situation that normal electrical lighting would be used in. There are motion detectors with lights that are solar powered and can be used in driveways and in dark areas of the landscape to alert the homeowner to the presence of movement and there are pole lights and wall sconces that can be used in the same manner as the electrical pole light and wall sconces, with one distinct advantage. Solar lighting is typically automated, meaning it uses photocells to determine when to turn on and when to turn off. This in itself is a money saver as it extends the life of the light bulbs in the fixtures.

Solar garden lighting is the natural choice in lighting today. Gardens and patios have never been more beautiful than when they area lit up with soft lighting supplied by Mother Nature and practically free of charge.

-Sharon Chapman

Installing an outdoor lighting system that is solar powered does more than save money, it also preserves natural resources from being depleted. This is important for future generations and is the right thing to do for the environment.

The popularity of the solar garden light has forced manufactures who design lighting to be competitive with electrical light fixtures available. In fact, there are some designs that are easier to install and plan around than their electrical counterparts are.

An example of this can be seen in the pathway stones that have embedded lights in them. The electrical version of these stones require underground wiring or other innovative ways of getting the power cords out of the way and not displayed on the lawn.

On the other hand, solar powered pathway stones with embedded lights require little more than being placed in a sunny area and the other normal installation steps that pathway stones require, such as leveling the ground.

In the past, the use of solar energy required that the light fixture be placed in direct sunlight. Technology has made it possible to install a solar garden light fixture in areas that don’t always receive direct sunlight.  These solar lights do require creative planning to hide or secure the wiring that connects the solar panel to the light fixture. However, the benefit of using these solar powered lights far outweighs this minor detail.

Solar garden lights are able to take advantage of their placement in the sun by gathering the sun’s energy and storing it in solar panels that contain solar collector cells. These solar cells convert this energy into power that is transferred to and stored in nickel cadmium batteries. These batteries then power the lights, which are controlled by photocells that turn them on and off at dawn and dusk based on the presence or absence of light.
This overall process of creating solar energy is simple and occurs without input from the homeowner. The batteries typically last for several years, as do the light bulbs. The photocell’s ability to automatically turn the lights off and on is part of their longevity. Typically, homeowner’s simply need to keep the solar panels free from debris so they can collect as much of the sun’s energy as possible.

This energy is a renewable energy, meaning that it isn’t going to be depleted, at least not as far as man knows. Using the sun’s energy to power lights, hot water heaters and other solar panel equipped items is highly encouraged to help preserve the Earth’s natural resources and allow people to continue to enjoy the comforts they have become accustomed to.

Quite simply, the use of solar garden lights is the smart thing to do for everyone. It saves the individual money and it save the Earth’s resources.

-Sharon Chapman

Solar powered lighting has been available for many years. Yet, it has only been in recent years that technology changed the look and longevity of outdoor solar lights. These lights can be as inexpensive or as expensive as the budget will allow. They can be purchased in plastic, stick in the ground, do-it-yourself versions or stainless steel, designer versions that require a landscape installation expert to install in order to make sure they are secure. Either way, they are powered by the sun and are less expensive in the end.

Using outdoor solar lights has spread beyond the homeowner. Solar powered lights can now be found in commercial installation to light up the area at night for security reasons. There are even some street and highway lights that are powered by the sun.

Outdoor solar lights are considered green or eco-friendly because they use an energy source that is renewable. During the daylight hours the solar panels on these lights collect the sun’s energy and send it to batteries that are installed in the lights. These batteries then power the low-voltage bulbs that have light sensors attached to them. The light sensors tell the lights to come on when the sun goes down and to turn off when it comes up again.

Many people mistakenly think outdoor solar lights have to be installed in direct sunlight. That is not entirely true. Outdoor solar lighting can be installed that has a solar panel attached to the light by a cord. The solar panel is installed in the sunlight. After it gathers the sun’s energy it sends it to the batteries that are located in the solar lighting, which is placed wherever the homeowner want is, as long as the cord reaches.

Outdoor solar lighting offers more than the convenience and money-saving aspect. It is also very low maintenance, requiring little more than keeping the solar panels free from dirt and debris. The batteries don’t have to be changed much more often than every few years and the bulbs are long lasting as well. Part of this is due to not having to remember to turn them off during the day that extends the life of the bulb.

Money saving and environment saving are both traits that make outdoor solar lighting the perfect choice for any family. These lights are easy to install and can be purchased within practically any budget.

-Sharon Chapman

Most solar garden lights require little more than sticking them in the ground and waiting for the sunlight to power them. They come with built-in solar panels that absorb the sun’s power and then light up when darkness comes. Others have a solar panel that can be placed away from the light and still power the light after absorbing the power from the sun during the day.

Solar garden lights typically have a long life and when they do run out of power the batteries are usually replaceable. The light that solar lights put off at night usually lasts all night long due to the use of the nickel cadmium batteries that are used in them.

Sunflower Solar Light Photo by Crystal Church

Homeowners will appreciate the ease of maintenance when using solar garden lighting. The sun provides the power for the lighting, the batteries last for many years before they need to be replaced. The only minor maintenance that might be necessary is cleaning the solar panels when they become dusty so that they are able to absorb as much of the sun’s power as possible.

Contrary to popular belief, solar powered garden lights can be used in places that don’t have much sunlight during the day if the proper type of light is chosen. There are solar garden lights that have their solar panels placed away from the light and attached to it via cords that send the power to the light. These cords can be discreetly hidden in the landscape to keep the natural beauty and still showcase the solar lighting.

Originally solar powered garden lighting was not as attractive as its electrical counterparts were; however, that has drastically changed and the variety of solar garden lighting designs is immense. There are solar powered garden globes as well as the traditional look of post lights and pathway lighting powered by the sun.

Water fixtures are not abandoned when it comes to solar lighting, in fact they might have an advantage due to not needing an electrical contractor work around the water. Solar lighting for water fixtures can be found in floating water lights as well as built in underwater lights that are solar powered.

Deck lighting, water lighting, pathway lighting, porch lighting and practically any other garden light can be installed in the form of solar garden lights. There are many websites and lighting specialty companies that are dedicated to solar lighting. These companies can help create a garden lighting plan that doesn’t rely on electricity and at the same time creates the ambience and feel that is desired in the garden. Going “green” in the garden is as simple as reaching for the sun and seeing the stars light up at night.

-Sharon Chapman

Why Use Solar Lights for Garden

Outdoor solar lights for the garden are available in a large variety of styles and designs. Originally, people associated solar outdoor lights with cheap, black, plastic stake lights that lasted one season if that long. Not anymore. As interest in solar lights for gardens grew, so did the variety of lights available. Solar pond lights that float, lamp posts, submersible pool and pond lights, table lights, and many more styles abound.

In addition to the variety of styles available there is also a large variety of materials available. You can choose from copper, brass and cast iron or aluminum and forged steel they are available in numerous colors from earthy tones to vibrant hues. You can even find solar lights in garden statues and gazing balls.

Sunflower Solar Light Photo by Crystal Church

Versatility in lighting is another good reason to use solar lights for the garden. If you want ambience and mood lighting, solar lighting can provide that. If you want enough light to play horseshoes by on a summer night, solar lights can provide that too. The various bulb wattages and colors that are available in solar lights for the garden make almost any lighting desire a reality.

Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of solar lights for the garden is that practically anyone can do the installation. This is one of the biggest reasons people choose them. Due to their budget they can’t afford to hire a professional to install electric outdoor lights and yet they want to move forward with their outdoor landscape plan.

Solar lights for the garden are either staked, hung or attached to a wall or other stationary object. Some are literally just placed in a stable position, for example, a solar powered gazing ball. All it requires for installation is being placed in a sunny area and you’re done.

Along the same lines as ease of installation is the ease in rearranging the solar lighting décor. If you decide to rearrange your garden set up, rearranging your solar lights for your garden is a breeze. Simply pick them up and move them. There are no wires to worry with and not hunting for an electrical outlet. The only consideration you have to keep in mind is the sun.

Should you need to put a light in a shady location, there are solar lights for the garden that have a separate solar panel to collect the energy. It is either wired to the light itself or you attach it at dusk. Either way these make is easy to add light to a shady location using solar power.

Solar lights for the garden allow you to be Earth friendly and have the landscape of your dreams complete with gazing balls and lighted pathways. Enchantment awaits.

Outdoor solar garden lights were at one time large, gawky units that did nothing to enhance the yard. Today, they can be found in a variety of sizes, shapes, styles and even as part of statues and water features. During the daylight hours they add beauty to the yard as they soak up the sun’s energy. When the sun goes down they bring a special ambience to the lawn and garden as the provide light.

Sunflower Solar Light Photo by Crystal Church

Lighting the exterior areas of the home and garden means more time to spend entertaining outside or hosting special events. Outdoor solar garden lights are versatile and mobile enough to change your lighting décor as needed based on the event or gathering.

Hosting summer evening parties in your garden is a great way to enjoy summer nights and using outdoor solar garden lights makes set up a breeze. You can purchase solar tiki torches and feel more secure not having an open flame in the midst of your gathering. Drape solar strand lights throughout shrubbery and palm trees creating a starry, tropical feel for your guests.

Advantages

Using outdoor solar garden lights has several advantages over other lighting options. First is the cost of installation. Unlike electrical lighting plans which typically require a professional and permits for the installation, solar garden lights can be installed by the typical homeowner in just a short amount of time.

Once installed the only remaining cost associated with outdoor solar garden lights is the occasional battery replacement, on average every two or three years. The actual light bulbs are normally LED bulbs which can last up to twenty years without need for replacement.

In addition to cost savings for the budget, there is the savings associated with natural resources. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy that will last for millions of years. By using solar energy instead of electricity you are saving the earth’s resources for future generations.

Safety can be a big concern when trying to light the outdoors. Candles can tip over in the wind causing fire that can destroy your home. Electrical lights, unless installed by a professional can short out in bad weather causing fire. If drop cords are used for temporary lighting people can trip and fall over them.

Outdoor solar garden lights are also more versatile than electrical outdoor garden lights. With electrical lighting once it is in place you don’t have the option of moving them around. Solar lighting isn’t attached by wires and can be rearranged as desired. All that is required is a sunny location.

The use of outdoor solar garden lights brings a special effect and feeling to your lawn and garden after dusk, allowing more time for enjoying guests and for hosting parties during warm summer nights. Outdoor solar lighting is more economical, safer, and more versatile than other lighting choices, making it the hands-down choice for homeowners.

-Sharon Chapman

If you’re thinking that using solar powered garden lights means foregoing creativity with your landscape plan you’re wrong. Solar powered garden lights are available in practically every style that hard wired garden lights are. From recessed path lights to decorative pole lights and everything in between, you can even find whimsical garden pieces that have solar powered lights in them.

Sunflower Solar Light Photo by Crystal Church

Some people have avoided using solar powered garden lights because they are afraid of a costly installation. The majority of solar powered garden lights are easily self-installed. Installing solar powered garden lights is not like installing other solar power for your home. Most solar powered garden lights are simply place in a sunny location and wait.

Because of the ease of installation, the power savings, and the cost savings these solar powered lights are showing up in yards and gardens everywhere. Adding them to your landscape is a simple task. You only need to decide how you are going to use them then go and then decide on the actual light design.

There are many options that are available that are both decorative and functional. Decorative solar powered garden lights are the fastest growing in terms of popularity. They can be found in a range of colors, sizes, shapes, characters and even logos. You can purchase these in specific logos or teams for use during certain events or gatherings.

By the same token you can choose a theme for your garden and most likely find many decorative solar powered garden lights to accent your design. If, for example, you want to have a natural garden and would like frogs or turtles to enhance the area, you can find frogs that have solar lighting built in to them.

Outdoor solar garden lights are available in more elegant options as well. There are pole lights that are solar powered, wall sconces, hanging lights and of course a wide variety of path lights. You can choose recessed lights or miniature versions of street lamps to light your driveway.

Outdoor solar powered garden lights are the number one favorite for path lighting. They typically are staked and installation is simply pushing them into the ground. Many use solar power to charge batteries which only require replacement every two or three years. These path lights can be found in economical versions or in fancier, high end décor versions. The possibilities are wide open.

Regardless of what type of lighting you are looking for in your garden setting, there is most likely a solar powered garden light to fill your need. You will be saving money and natural resources when you use solar powered garden lights.

-Sharon Chapman