The route to a successful outcome in any project starts by clearly defining the objective, and in that respect installing outdoor solar lighting is no different. Ask yourself whether you want to provide an evening entertainment area, improve security and/or safe access, or simply add an extra visual dimension to your garden at night.
You might of course choose any or all of the above plus a few other ideas of your own, which means you will also have to figure out how to balance various competing demands on your solar lighting layout. So you can see then that specifying your various objectives upfront makes it a whole lot easier to divide your outdoor spaces into discrete zones and identify suitable light fittings.
For example, while solar deck lights work well in decks and just about anything else wooden you can think of to attach them to, as a deterrent against intruders they're really not up to the job. But likewise, using powerful solar floodlights to illuminate your outdoor entertaining area is not going to help create a great ambience, and while low power colored light are pretty and not so "in your face" they're hopeless if you want your guests to at least see what they're doing.
Functional (or "task") lighting as distinct from decorative lighting tends to be relatively easy to get right for the simple reason that it is usually obvious whether or not it performs the intended task. Driveway lighting should allow you to easily navigate the drive, security lighting should switch on in response to movement - such things are simple to test.
Solar garden lighting whose purpose is simply to look attractive might not have to pass any specific "tests" but that doesn't let it entirely off the hook where guidelines and best practice are concerned. The first point to consider is that solar lighting depends on getting a daily charge from the sun and so they (or their separate solar panel in some systems) need to be positioned in a bright spot.
Secondly, outdoor solar lights are typically less bright than their mains powered counterparts. Even when fitted with highly efficient LED light bubs they have to provide many hours of light from a single battery charge and simply cannot run as brightly. But that can be turned to an advantage since you can pack in many more solar garden lights than is possible using regular lights to create striking yet still subdued effects.
Third, one of the major advantages of solar garden lighting is that not only is it incredibly easy to install in the first place, but almost more importantly it is very easy to experiment with the installation until you get it just right. You're not quite literally tied to a fixed length cable and can keep on adjusting the layout as required (if needs to be to suit plant growth or die back as seasons change).
Lastly, always remember whose garden it is - yours. There is absolutely nothing to stop you indulging in whatever whimsy takes your fancy. It is all but impossible to make a garden look worse with outdoor solar lighting and the truth is that almost any type of garden lighting always looks way better than not having any at all. - 30228
You might of course choose any or all of the above plus a few other ideas of your own, which means you will also have to figure out how to balance various competing demands on your solar lighting layout. So you can see then that specifying your various objectives upfront makes it a whole lot easier to divide your outdoor spaces into discrete zones and identify suitable light fittings.
For example, while solar deck lights work well in decks and just about anything else wooden you can think of to attach them to, as a deterrent against intruders they're really not up to the job. But likewise, using powerful solar floodlights to illuminate your outdoor entertaining area is not going to help create a great ambience, and while low power colored light are pretty and not so "in your face" they're hopeless if you want your guests to at least see what they're doing.
Functional (or "task") lighting as distinct from decorative lighting tends to be relatively easy to get right for the simple reason that it is usually obvious whether or not it performs the intended task. Driveway lighting should allow you to easily navigate the drive, security lighting should switch on in response to movement - such things are simple to test.
Solar garden lighting whose purpose is simply to look attractive might not have to pass any specific "tests" but that doesn't let it entirely off the hook where guidelines and best practice are concerned. The first point to consider is that solar lighting depends on getting a daily charge from the sun and so they (or their separate solar panel in some systems) need to be positioned in a bright spot.
Secondly, outdoor solar lights are typically less bright than their mains powered counterparts. Even when fitted with highly efficient LED light bubs they have to provide many hours of light from a single battery charge and simply cannot run as brightly. But that can be turned to an advantage since you can pack in many more solar garden lights than is possible using regular lights to create striking yet still subdued effects.
Third, one of the major advantages of solar garden lighting is that not only is it incredibly easy to install in the first place, but almost more importantly it is very easy to experiment with the installation until you get it just right. You're not quite literally tied to a fixed length cable and can keep on adjusting the layout as required (if needs to be to suit plant growth or die back as seasons change).
Lastly, always remember whose garden it is - yours. There is absolutely nothing to stop you indulging in whatever whimsy takes your fancy. It is all but impossible to make a garden look worse with outdoor solar lighting and the truth is that almost any type of garden lighting always looks way better than not having any at all. - 30228
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If you found this interesting then be sure to check out this additional article that looks at solar powered garden lights in more detail.
