Solar Christmas Lights
Everyone loves Christmas, and many people especially love the amazing light displays that people put endless hours into creating in their neighborhoods for all to see and enjoy. It’s a time for feeling warm, appreciating family, and generally forgetting about your worries.
The only problem is that if you’re one of the people putting their time and effort into an impressive lighting display. The worry of the enormous electricity costs associated with running your labor-of-love light display could be at the forefront of your mind and sour your enjoyment.
Luckily for you, solar Christmas lights offer the perfect solution for those who want to boost the festive spirit in their neighborhoods without spending a fortune on their utility bills, thanks to the highly efficient and renewable sun fueled technology they offer. Read on for everything you need to know!
How Solar Christmas Lights Work
In their basic form, solar Xmas lights work just like any other type of lighting in that they feature a bulb or series of bulbs that have been connected to an electrical circuit that provides the power they need to illuminate. Typically, though this power comes from a hard-wired grid circuit that is not only power-hungry, it also means that you have to go through the trouble of finding extension cables and spare sockets to power the various sections.
The beauty of solar-powered festive lighting like this is that it relies on circuitry that draws its power exclusively from the sun. This means that the power source is both endlessly renewable and leaves no carbon footprint on the ozone layer thanks to its being 100% green. The massive benefit here of course is that after installation you won’t need to pay a single penny for the continued use of your lighting. During an already expensive time of the year, this is going to be music to your ears if you’re used to having to find spare cash to cover elevated electricity consumption.
Precisely how solar-powered Christmas lights operate is via inbuilt photovoltaic cells that absorb photons, before breaking them down the resulting electrical charge that has been channeled through an inverter to power the device of your choosing. In this instance, the resulting charge is being used to power festive lighting options.
Benefits of Solar Christmas Lights
The benefits of using solar fueled festive lighting are numerous, whether from a practical standpoint or an economic one. We’ll now provide you with an outline of the key positives on offer when making use of this technology.
- They’re cheap
Lighting like this is often much cheaper than grid wired options, meaning that if you don’t use it, you’re not only going to be paying more upfront but more in the long term as well, making for a double whammy of elevated expenses.
- Easy to install
Though many solar Christmas lights come with attached plugs as a backup power supply, you usually have to make use of extension cables and spare plug sockets to power your lighting at the expense of not being able to use the sockets for other household items while the lights are on.
This element is reduced dramatically with the use of sun-powered technology and means that you can continue to use appliances and personal items uninterrupted.
- Save you lots of money
Once in place, you don’t need to worry about any additional expense with sun-powered festive lighting thanks to them being powered via an endlessly renewable energy source that doesn’t cost a penny to use. This means no elevated electricity bills in the long run.
- Lifespan
Solar lighting like this has been shown to last 10 times longer than traditional battery-powered or hard-wired variants. This means that you’re not only going to save lots of money on your utility bills and upfront costs but you also won’t need to keep paying out for replacements either.
Types of Solar Christmas Lights
There are three main varieties of solar Christmas decorations at your disposal so it’s worth looking through all of them before you decide which one, or which combination of products to use to create the most impactful festive display possible. The different varieties are as follows.
Christmas Tree Lighting
Obviously, you would need to have an external Xmas tree to get the most benefit out of a product like this but it’s also possible to place the attached solar cells on the outside of your house and run the wire inside should it be long enough. These lights are designed primarily for use as a direct Christmas tree lighting variety/form of decoration.
String Lighting
The most common type of solar outdoor Christmas lights, string lights simply features an array of festive shaped or colored bulbs that are attached to a wire which in turn is connected to a solar cell array to draw power from the sun throughout the day and store it for nighttime use. There are many different designs available and they’re very easy to install wherever you wish.
Pathway Lighting
The last common variety of sun-fueled festive lighting is festive pathway lighting. These units feature decorative bulbs that are mounted on a stake for installation directly into the ground which means that they can be used to illuminate or create paths at ground level.
This type is great when used in combination with string lighting or Xmas tree lighting. In fact, using all three varieties on offer is typically the best way to create a hugely impactful display.
How Can the Weather Impact Solar Christmas Lights?
One of the major risks that can impact the functionality of festive lighting like this is the fact that it spends almost every second of its entire lifespan outside. If you want your product to last for a long time, consider the following factors:
How Waterproof Are Your Lights?
It’s important to ensure that your chosen product has a waterproof rating of 65 or above if you want it to survive some of the harshest outdoor conditions and still work effectively. Check the waterproofing rating in the manufacturer’s specifications before making a purchase.
How Durable Are Your Lights?
Ideally, the material used to create your lighting should be incredibly robust, durable, and hard-wearing if it’s going to be able to resist the weather and falling debris. Solid ABS plastic or all-metal builds tend to be the hardest wearing.
Does Your Product Include a Warranty?
Ideally, always try to purchase a festive lighting system that comes with an included warranty to protect against weather damage as this is a sure-fire sign that it’s high quality and will last for a long time.
Conclusion
After reading today’s post, you should now feel confident about making the switch from hard-wired to solar-based festive lighting to fuel your Xmas lighting display. You’re going to face less hassle during the installation process, lower costs both upfront and in the long term, as well as less risk of having to replace them due to their high level of durability. This is a much more convenient and cost-effective way to enhance the Xmas spirit in your neighborhood.
