Why Solar Should Not Be Part of Your Landscape Lighting Plan

If you are looking for landscape lighting, but have been on the fence on your purchase of either solar lighting versus professional grade landscape lighting, I believe I can offer suggestions to guide you further. These are the 10 reasons not to purchase solar lighting. I hope this helps you out.

The cons to solar lighting

1. Most are made out of low impact plastic and the durability is severely in question.
2. Solar lighting batteries are sub-standard in quality and rarely does a solar light remain lit during the first couple hours of use during any particular evening.
3. Any obstruction such as snow, rain, or leaves inhibit the photo cell operations, therefore no lighting will take effect from that fixture.
4. Battery longevity is almost non-existent. Therefore solar lighting is usually disposed of within 2 weeks to 2 months. Rarely does a solar light last the through any winter.
5. By disposing of solar lights in the normal refuse or even recycled way, it creates a serious environmental problem because of poor breakdown of the plastic fixtures and more importantly the serious pollutant factor of the batteries to the landfills thus contaminating our drinking water sources.
6. There are rare instances that applications of solar lighting that will work if any. A dedicated solar light offers little or no illumination of the desired walkway, driveway, specimen tree, or home thus becoming a eyesore to the home instead of enhancing it.
7. Solar lighting appears to be a good concept for safety. In my experience the falsely created sense of security is in fact a dangerous problem of this type of light. Let me explain. A light that offers no desired illumination but a “glow” draws the eye to it. This in turn blocks the senses of the dangers of steps etc, thus causing the person to trip easily and fall. It boggles my mind that insurance companies allow this type of light.
8. In a low sunlit day, solar lighting does not re-charge its batteries and this causes the lights to not operate at all until direct sunlight hits them extensively.
9. Solar lights cannot be used in a shady area (under a tree etc) because ineffective battery charging will in all applications never allow the light to work.
10. Solar lighting is a poor investment.

Pros to solar lighting

1. There is only one. They are cheap, therefore you get what you pay for.

Again, I hope this helps you out and I can save you the aggravation of a substandard product. By following the above mentioned steps from a person who has purchased solar lighting in the past, you should be able to make a easy decision. I would recommend a professionally installed low voltage landscape lighting system. They are almost bulletproof moreover, if your landscape lighting contractor is board certified, bonded, and has a track record of a long list of happy clients, your system should last you a lifetime with the design you desire with the utmost in safety in mind.