The use of solar lights has become more widespread because of the long list of benefits they offer. Because they are powered by solar energy, which is heat and light that come from the sun, they can lower your electricity bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and protect the environment. They can also be easily installed, are long-lasting, and are cost-efficient.
These days, there is a wide range of solar lights available, and picking the right one for your needs can be a bit tricky. From solar spotlights and solar garden lamps to outdoor solar lanterns and solar street lights, the choices are plenty and varied.
To help you decide how to pick, below are some key factors to take into consideration:
1. Purpose and Type
Why do you want to get solar lights? What will you use them for? Where do you plan to install them? These are important questions to ask yourself to help determine the type of solar lights you buy. When it comes to LED solar lights, outdoor, garden, porch, security, decorative, and spotlight are a few examples of the most common purposes and types. Depending on what you are looking for, you should be able to find the most suitable type for your needs.
2. Brightness
Solar lights come in different brightness levels, and these are measured in terms of lumens. In simple terms, lumens refer to how much light you get from a bulb. Thus, a very bright light signifies high lumens while a dim light signifies few lumens. Depending on how bright you want your solar lights to be, you can get something within a brightness range of 12 lumens to 100 lumens (which is common for step and landscape solar lights) or something within a higher brightness range of 700 lumens to 1300 lumens (which is typical for motion sensor and flood solar lights).
3. Battery Type and Capacity
Solar light batteries can be NiMH, Lithium-Ion, NiCad, or Lead-Acid. Among the four, Lithium-Ion is the most popular because of its higher capacity despite its small size. It is lightweight and low maintenance, has a greater voltage operation, and higher charge and discharge cycles than the others.
4. Solar Panel Type
Solar panels in solar lights also come in different types. There are three — polycrystalline, amorphous, and monocrystalline. Among the three, monocrystalline solar panels are the most effective but also the most expensive. The other two are less costly but have lower efficiency.
5. Price
The cost of solar lights can range from a few dollars to several thousands of dollars, depending on the type, lumens, battery type and capacity, solar panel system, and other features. The most important thing to remember when shopping is that being more expensive does not automatically mean being higher in quality.
6. Product Reviews
When shopping for outdoor solar lanterns, wall-mounted LED solar lights, outdoor path lights, or some other type of solar lighting; you should make sure that you are buying quality products. Check that the manufacturer or supplier is reliable and trustworthy by reading reviews left by their past customers. Look at the ratings and comments to learn about the pros and cons of their products.