How To Install Solar Powered Garden Lights

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.

There’s a good chance of course that your answer will include some, all or more than these possibilities. The problem is then one of balancing these different requirements on your outdoor solar lighting. But by at least identifying the requirements in advance it becomes much easier to separate the lighting into distinct zones and types of light fitting.

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.

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.

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.

Finally, never forget that it is your garden and therefore you can do as you please. If you want to string solar fairy lights along a dull fence or scatter sun jars at random then go right ahead. The fact is that pretty much any outside garden lighting looks a whole lot better than none at all, and it is near impossible to make a garden actually look worse by installing solar lighting.

If you found this interesting then be sure to check out this additional article that looks at solar garden lighting in more detail.