September 7, 2009, 9:51 am
Unlike solar light fixtures, low voltage landscape lighting is more common because many areas of a home lack the direct sunlight that is needed to power solar lights. Solar lights require direct sunlight to charge up their batteries during the day. An area like a porch or entryway that is covered requires a hard wired fixture because the cover prevents the sun’s rays from reaching the fixtures. Properties that are shaded by trees also require hard wired outdoor lights.
The benefits to choosing an energy efficient lighting fixture are numerous especially if you are trying to reduce the amount of energy your family consumers. Proper lighting outdoors is also essential for the safety of your family and guests as they maneuver around your property at night. Lighting also enhances the security of your home because it deters intrusions. A well lit home is less likely to be an easy target for an intruder that does not want to be noticed.
August 31, 2009, 6:00 pm
With the improvements in Solar Lights
it is now possible to have a reliable source of light in your garden at night. It wasn’t too long ago that solar lighting was more of a novelty than something that you could count on to work for very long, they just were not built to last. The main problem was with the durability of the housing and components. The housing was easy to crack and would leak which ruined the light, or the components would just fail for no apparent reason.
Today you can expect good quality solar lighting to last for a long time. With advances in solar technology the components have improved to the point that they are now reliable enough to last for years. With improvements in quality control and the material used, the housings for these lights have improved in both style and durability. And they no longer leak.
July 16, 2009, 6:44 pm
Solar lights
take the energy of sunlight and convert it to electricity. The electricity is then stored in a battery within the casement of the solar light and at night is used to generate light from the lamp.
During the day the light does not shine due to a light sensitive switch which keeps the solar light turned off if there is sufficient natural light already. The solar lights will come on automatically and continue to shine until either there is sufficient light to trip the light switch once more or the battery is drained.
In practice it is usually the latter as the battery has sufficient energy to only keep the lamps shining for six to eight hours each night. This does not tend to be a problem however as this would be the early hours of the morning and thus a time when most folk were safely wrapped up in bed.
