Whether or not to go solar seems to be a pretty popular question in the lighting world these days. Some think it’s great, and some not so much. In today’s post we’ll explain why we’re in the “not so much” category. Solar lighting is great in some cases, but not for residential landscape lighting.
It Doesn’t Work
There are a few reasons why we believe solar is a bad idea, but this one is the most interesting. Below is a quote from the founder of Landscape Lighting Pros.
“When it comes to solar powered lights that all the stores typically offer, it’s as simple as, they just don’t work. The light itself doesn’t put off very much light at all and only lights up the light itself and nothing else. They are also made from a very cheap material that will not last long at all. I have had plenty of clients tell me they are just going to go out and try these solar powered lights and see how they work. They always end up calling me back because they either don’t work at all or they end up falling apart within a month. So, in the end, it’s better to let us come out and give you a high quality product that will last you a lifetime.”
If you have had success in the past with solar lights, feel free to let us know. But obviously from our past experience with customers that has not been the case.
Environment
The environment is one of the bigger reasons people are interested in solar. They use natural energy to generate light for your home. But what if we told you the environment could actually be a reason solar lights won’t work? Think about the layout of your home. You probably want to put lights near trees to showcase how beautiful they are. Maybe you have some pathways you’d like some light for. Well, the thing about solar lights is you are dependent upon how much sunlight they get. That’s why whenever you see a big solar panel plant it’s usually out by itself somewhere. Not only can trees and your home itself block the amount of sunlight your lights get, but also you are dependent on the weather. Sure in seasons like the summer and spring you might have more sunny days than cloudy. But what about the winter and fall where it gets cloudy most of the time? In our experience, it’s better to not have to worry about things like weather and your surroundings for your lights to work.
Maintenance
The people who make solar lights spend most of their money on the solar part and not so much on the rest of the materials. As a result they simply do not last very long. Lighting is something you want to set up once and be done with it, for the most part. Think about how many times a light has gone out in your room and you put off replacing it. People will go weeks, even months without replacing lights. It’s a pain. Having high quality lights that will last a lifetime takes away that frustration.
Let’s Do A Visual Comparison
Above is a picture of some popular solar lights and a picture of our LED’s. Notice how exposed the fixture is on the solar lights. The LED is surrounded by solid cast brass materials that will be extremely difficult to break. Aesthetically, you can make that decision for yourself. Our main point here is in the quality, and hopefully these images will help you see how vast the difference really is.
Unnecessary
Our final point about solar lights has to do with innovation. Solar is a great innovation, but it is an unnecessary one when it comes to residential lighting. If you want to save the environment, look into LED’s. There are plenty of case studies showing thousands of dollars in energy savings due to the use of LED lighting. They use 6 times less electricity and ours will literally last you a lifetime. We can say that, because even if our lights do somehow break we have a lifetime warranty policy 🙂
If you have any insights into this topic, feel free to leave a comment down below. If you have any questions you can give us a call, or you can let us put our lights where our mouth is by signing up for our Free 3 Day Trial. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!