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Posts Tagged ‘lights’

Lighting in and around a garden can transform its appearance in the dark hours. Well positioned lights will give an impression of depth and beauty that provides a very different perspective than during the day.

The advent of widely available cost effective low voltage garden lighting has made outdoor lights more accessible to most people. Not only is the equipment relatively inexpensive, but installation costs are usually lower than for full mains voltage lights.

Low voltage lighting, for gardens, can be bought in a huge range of designs, colours, shapes and sizes. It is even possible to get lights that are built in to garden ornaments in the form of animals or rocks etc. When cleverly placed amongst the plants these items will blend in during the day and come to life at night; adding a new dimension in your garden.

There are some very attractive lights that come with brackets for attaching to walls or fences. Others are in the form of short stakes with a globe light on the top; these can be positioned along paths or around lawn areas etc. Strings of lights can be hung in trees or along the border of your land; these are extremely popular around Christmas and New Year.

In many countries, provided you have the mains power to the transformer installed by an electrician; the lights themselves can be setup by anyone with a basic knowledge of the equipment. This can help to lower the cost of fitting your lights compared to the traditional mains voltage outdoor lighting.

A nicely lit garden can almost become an extension to the inside of your home, especially in warm weather. The area that is lit does not necessarily have to be very big, if you only have a small garden or yard area much can be achieved with the right use of lights. A word of caution; try to be subtle and do not over use lights or you will end up with a garden that just looks garish.

Gone are the times when garden lighting and garden fairy lights were reserved only for Christmas decorations! The more innovative and aesthetically inclined of the lot are re using their garden fairy lights to light up their colorful summer gardens. The beautiful flowering trees and shrubs, basking gorgeously in garden fairy lights is a sight to behold.

Many avid gardening enthusiasts desist from lighting up their gardens as the task can be pretty daunting. But to make your summer garden look gorgeous, use the ‘less is more’ trick. That way garden lighting will be more economical for you and the electricity bills wont burn holes in your pocket.

Garden Fairy Lights

Price of Garden Lighting

Solar Powered Garden Fairy Lights

Advantages of Solar Garden Fairy Lights

In short, there is a great variety of garden fairy lights to choose from. Depending on your budget, size of garden, lighting requirements and the weather, you have to select the right type of garden lighting for your lawn.

 

If you need outdoor lightning in places where there is no regular power source or the power source is difficult to reach than solar power lights can be the answer. The solar power lights can be used to provide accent lightning. There types of solar power lights that light up brightly but others don’t. Although the lights are getting better you must not think of these lights to be as bright as regular powered light.

To make the solar powered light shine brightly you need sunshine of course. More sunshine is better, when it is cloudy, rainy, or during winter they perform less. At least 8 hours of sunshine and fully charged batteries will make solar powered lights powerful enough.

Most solar powered lighting kits are not as bright as low voltage, electric powered lights. But new models can adequately highlight plants, mark a path, or provide simple security. Solar powered lights need no wires, what is a big advantage. Everybody who has placed traditional lightning themselves will see advantage. Just put them on the ground, and move them anytime you wish. Solar powered lights also use renewable energy and are non-pollutants. Solar powered lights have built-in light sensors that automatically turn off during the day and turn on at night.

In the past, solar cells were (and many still are) very weak and could not hold a consistent charge for more than a few hours. Now, solar lighting designers and engineers have been able to use advanced light emitting diode lamps that draw minimal current yet provide intense light output. LED lamps are so efficient that one lamp can last for several years before being replaced.

In the new solar power lights the NiCAD (Nickel Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries are used to power solar batteries. Under normal conditions these batteries can last for one year. After that year you can replace them when needed.

The three most common uses of solar lights are:

1) Outdoor Lights

This is the simplest and safest way to light landscape environments. Compared to conventional 12V and 120V outdoor lights, solar powered outdoor lights have great electric consumption cost savings! Solar cells collect light during the day and recharge its lithium batteries. With light sensors, these lights automatically turn on at dusk. Normal operating time is 8-10 hours when fully charged. Lights automatically recharge during the next day. Types of outdoor lights may include hanging lights, wall mounted lamps, or even low post lamps.

2) Garden Lights

Solar powered garden lights emit a light that is luminous enough to accent plants. The designs of these lights are also good enough to complement the plant designs. These can be wonderful garden decorations. Some lights have been designed to look like mushrooms, dwarves, birds, flowers, and other natural elements of the garden. Other lights are designed to be nice complements to a garden. Most garden lights are low lights that are usually on the ground.

3) These lights use a small, photovoltaic (PV) cell to charge a battery that is integrated into the lighting fixture itself. After being charged by the sun all day, the battery provides power to the lamp to illuminate the landscapes during nightfall. These lights often provide the most powerful illumination of the three types.

Landscape lights come in various styles. Some have decorative designs that are made of die case metal for durability and styling detail. Some may even resemble lamppost lighting fixtures that make some large landscapes look great!

Always consider the surrounding geography of your home before planning where to put your landscape lights. The most critical is the placement of the PV panel since any interference to the cell will affect the performance of the landscape lights. Make sure that the PV panel will be placed in a spot where virtually nothing will cover it so it can absorb the maximum amount of sunlight. If your area is full of trees and surrounding buildings, solar powered landscape lights may not be for you.

 

Solar Lighting Ideas for the Garden â?? Just like Mom leaving on the Porch Lights

Solar energy to power your outdoor lighting is not only economical, it is also ecologically smart. Outdoor solar lights use sunlight to charge the batteries which power the solar lights. Solar lights may be programmed to automatically go on at dusk and can stay alight for up to 10 hours or more, plenty of time to make it through the night.

Solar Lighting gives A Romantic Glow

Solar outdoor lights are excellent for the yard and deck, resembling a romantic soft glow in the garden, deck or along the entrance path. Garden lighting effectively adds a warm touch of home, even before entering the house. Individual accent lights showcase interesting elements in the yard. Spotlights can make a plain tree look spectacular at night, which may just increase your property value as well.

Solar Lighting in the Garden â?? A Practical Choice

The solar receptor panels generally last about 20 years with proper care. Solar garden lighting helps illuminate dark paths, or highlight certain landscape elements. There are solar lights that can be installed onto the house or poles, so that it is not so easy for thieves or vandals to walk away with the fixtures.

Solar Garden Lighting Scares Burglars and helps to Prevent Accidents

Solar lighting may also help to scare away intruders, by giving the feeling of â??someone is at homeâ?. In fact, there may be models that can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times in the evening, just like you may now be using light timers inside the house to give the impression that someone is at home turning the lights off and on at certain hours of the night. Additionally, movement detectors on solar lights are extremely effective in deterring unwanted guests, and just as effective at welcoming an expected guest. Do you remember the feeling you felt as you approached the front door of a friendâ??s house as the front poor light went on as you approached the stoop? You may have had an alarmed feeling, or felt happy that the area became lighted, aiding you in finding the steps , avoiding cracks in the walk, or the garden hose reel that may have accidentally been left lying across the entry path!

Solar Lighting and Caring for your Garden

During the Fall and Spring, when you are arriving home in the early evening, many times it is just getting dark, or is already dark. With the energy-saving solar lighting you have installed, you can comfortably see your garden and be able to water the garden. Evening hours is a perfect time to water, as evaporation is not a problem, as it is in the hotter daytime hours.

Outdoor solar lighting creates a welcoming ambience of warmth and safety. That could be why Mom always left the light on for you.

 

 

The warmth and light of the sun nurtures all of the living and growing things in a garden and while the sun shines the beauty of the flowers, shrubs, trees and structures can be easily seen and enjoyed. What about after dark? There are many ways to accentuate a gardenâ??s beauty without the brilliant light of the midday sun, and this can be easily achieved through the use of solar powered garden lights.

Why solar powered garden lights? There are several major reasons for selecting a solar powered fixture over a traditional â??hard wiredâ? option. For instance, in order to use and operate a hard wired fixture a home or property owner may have to hire a professional electrician to install the proper exterior fixtures and wires. Then there is the need to mark the areas where wires are located in order to avoid accidentally severing them or disturbing them during normal garden maintenance. Of course this also means the use of electricity to operate the lights and any sensors or timers that they require, which means additional monthly expense. Finally, most hard wired fixtures will also require frequent light bulb replacement which can add up to a lot of money in a short period of time.

Solar garden lights however can be installed by almost anyone with only minimal tools and experience required. The fixtures themselves can be relocated whenever and wherever the gardener desires, without the need for any professional assistance or associated expenses. Additionally, the majority of modern solar lights use LED bulbs, which operate for exceedingly long periods of times, some for decades, before requiring replacement. Finally, they operate strictly on the energy received from the sun, which means they operate entirely for free!

What kind of outdoor solar lights are available? A gardener could easily, and at a relatively affordable cost, light their entire yard or garden. There are sets of lighting fixtures intended to line an entire sidewalk or pathway, and there are also lighting fixtures meant to be used as accent or solar spot lights to illuminate a particular area of the yard or a specimen tree or bush, and there are even lights intended to be attached to flag poles and properly light a flying flag during the hours of darkness.

One of the major benefits of using solar powered lighting fixtures for the yard or garden is that their cost free operation will almost immediately â??repayâ? the owner the initial cost of investing in the lights. This means that a beautiful yard can be enjoyed both day and night thanks to the power of the sun!