Having a high-quality exterior lighting system is the best way to enjoy more time in your garden, and can create a welcoming atmosphere for you and your guests. Implementing low-energy lighting products is not only environmentally friendly, but will also help to keep those household energy bills down.
Choosing to brighten up your garden with solar LED outdoor lighting is a low-cost investment, which will provide long-term rewards. Many retailers such as Tesco have a wide range of options to choose from as well as buying guides to help you decide on a product.
Long-life LED
If you’re looking to illuminate your garden then solar-powered lights are one of the best, low-cost options, and the good news is that this technology has greatly improved since it was first introduced. Light emitting diode (LED) bulbs are now commonly used within solar lighting products, thanks to the brightness versus size ratio and their long-life capability. In fact, one LED bulb has a lifespan of around 30,000 hours, which means they are unlikely to need replacing. Of course solar lights are also extremely energy-efficient, and will turn on automatically at night, but switch off during daylight hours.
Halogen alternative
Halogen lighting has been traditionally used to illuminate garden areas, and there are now low voltage versions available. Spotlights are a great way to brighten up pathways, ponds, patios and shed areas. However, this illumination version is more expensive when compared to the latest LED bulbs, and many cost-conscious gardeners have been switching. You might find however, that your existing halogen spotlights can take LEDs if you’re considering the switch. A lower watt transformer will usually also be required if you’re changing over from halogen to LED.
Low cost LED
If you’re implementing a completely new lighting system, then the good news is that the LED solar-powered option is relatively inexpensive. Fairy-lights, spot-lights and even security lights are all available with this technology. Although the price for LED bulbs is more expensive when compared to halogen, you will find that the savings from this one-off investment will be significant over the long-term. The potential financial savings between the lifespan of a 50 watt halogen versus a 5W LED spotlight, is roughly around £175, plus this saving is increased via the use of solar-energy.
It is of course a matter of personal taste when it comes to lighting your outdoor area, but LED does make financial sense. There’s also the fact that this type of lighting requires very minimal maintenance, which is a bonus during those long winter months.
Images by eliduke and goron used under the Creative Commons license
Derek
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