Managing Home Maintenance Costs

There are many new solutions that are coming onto the market that provide solar powered outdoor security lights for consumers to provide lighting in situations were it is just too expensive to provide regular wiring and pay for the electricity to run the lights. This can be a very economical solution compared to hiring an electrician and paying for installation of regular lighting.

Other consumers are only interested in providing a decorative solution to line garden walks, to provide a dim light to help people avoid going off a sidewalk or just for pure decoration.  Some sit on top of posts like the one shown on the left, while others are stand alone and come in a multitude of shapes.

They have spikes that allow consumers to place them into the ground just about anywhere as shown below on the left. Both of these pole mounted and stand alone along the grass are charged during the day and provide light during the dark evening using this same power as the batteries discharge.

Garden Spikes

These lights pretty much all work the same way. They consist of a solar panel that generate electricity. There is a rechargeable battery to store the electricity that has been generated by the solar panel and there is the light. The light is usually manufactured using LED’s to generate a bright enough light. They can work for any given situation and draw little power. A small rechargeable battery can power one of these lights for the entire night.

This type is usually decorative and are provide a nice effect when they line a garden path or outline a fence along the edge of your property. They save money in the sense that it would be quite expensive to duplicate the same thing with standard lighting powered by an electricity system.

Solar Powered Outdoor Security Lights

There are other types of  lighting systems that provide more security for homes and businesses.  These are larger systems that generate more electricity, have larger storage batteries and brighter lights. Some come with motion sensors and some that just stay on all night.

These security lights are ideal for situations that have lots of sunlight. Especially if they are difficult to get to in terms of electrical wiring. They can be installed almost anywhere that you have access to sunlight for a period of time long enough to charge up the battery. The only cost you have is the initial system cost. There are no ongoing electrical power costs.

These systems also use LED lights which give off a bright light without generating a lot of heat. This makes them very efficient and allows the battery to last a long time.

Many systems are configured this way to enhance the use of solar panels. LED’s are a practical means of delivering light in locations that otherwise would be dark. Not having to introduce permanent wiring saves a great deal of money. It also eliminates electrical usage.

Solar Powered Outdoor Security – Use them at the Cottage

These are perfect for cottage use. The side door of a home and even in the backyard where it would be difficult to introduce electrical wiring.  One couple we are aware of only uses solar powered lights for their cottage and they have several similar lights around the outside of their cottage.

Most of these devices can also have the light located were you obviously need
the light and the solar panel can be mounted on a roof or post or even the side of a house a few feet away were there is more access to sunlight during the day. There are many solutions such as these for consumers to consider in using solar power to generate light and minimize the impact on the electrical system.

Camping Sites, RV’s , Tents and Cabins

We have talked about using these kinds of lights for home use. Either in the backyard or around the side of the home. They can provide a security type light or to illuminate the back yard.

Campers, RV owners and Cabin owners have long found that solar powered lights are a great way to make their excursions more comfortable. Although these smaller systems are only suitable for one lamp. They help to provide light in mobile situations and locations without any electrical power.

Larger systems are available to power lights in an RV for example. Also to charge up batteries during the day for use at night. They also can reduce the load on electrical generators.  Before purchasing solar panels for this kind of application design a system based on need and application.

Do Your Math

In other words how much electrical load do you have in terms of lights, TV, fridge etc. How many batteries do you need. Also how many solar panels of a given size do you need to hook up to ensure the batteries are fully charged in a single day.

We will talk more about these in a future post. However we wanted to introduce this subject in this post as part of our solar panel security light discussion. Regardless of the application, consumers should go through this process of estimating the power needed. Then design a system to deliver this power.

This is the only way to obtain an idea of cost and equipment needed to meet your needs. Otherwise you may end up frustrated due to the cost or the lack of sufficient power.

More to come in this are , comments are welcome.