How To Get The Best From Solar Garden Lighting
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.
The likelihood is of course that your initial list of requirements will include at least some of these plus a few others for good measure. But by going through this basic planning phase and identifying various zones and possible types of light fitting you will be much better placed to understand how to balance the variety of demands placed on your outdoor solar lighting.
If for example one of your requirements is to deter intruders approaching your property then solar deck lights, while highly versatile, simply won’t cut it. But by the same token you wouldn’t want to entertain folk under the glare of a solar floodlight. Something softer is required, but not so subdued your guests can’t actually see what they drinking or who they’re talking to.
It’s easiest to install outside solar lighting where the end requirements are clearly defined (i.e. deter intruders) and this usually covers what is called task (or functional) lighting. It has an easily understood job to do such as, say, ensuring that you can safely follow a path or flood an area with light when movement is detected.
Of course quite a lot of solar garden lighting serves no better purpose than looking pretty at night, which is a highly subjective and less than rigorous requirement. However, even this aspect is not without some basic ground rules worth observing. First is the obvious fact that solar lights need daily exposure to the sun in order to recharge their batteries, so you have to consider daytime as well as night time location.
Second, because solar powered lights have to last many hour on a single charge from a battery they cannot afford to burn as brightly as mains powered lights. Modern high efficiency LED bulbs that use vastly less power greatly help, but even these are still usually less bright. But this characteristic is not necessarily a weakness and it is possible to obtain effects with solar garden lights that mains powered versions cannot manage.
Thirdly, one of the main attractions of outdoor solar lighting is that it is both extremely easy to install and equally easy to rearrange subsequently. You aren’t stuck with your initial decisions regarding placement and can endlessly try out various arrangements until you settle on one that looks most pleasing to you.
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.
If you found this interesting then be sure to check out this additional article that looks at solar landscape lighting in more detail.
