Five wonderful (and easy) ways to incorporate Solar Lighting into your Yard or Garden

Choosing to add energy efficient items, like solar lighting, to your home or garden is essential when wanting to cut costs and support the environment.  Solar lighting options come in a wide range of styles and designs, making it easier than you think to find an eco-friendly lighting fixture.

Consider these five easy ways to incorporate solar lighting into your home’s exterior design, from home improvement expert Danny Lipford of Today’s Homeowner.

1. Keep Entryways Visible

Making sure that your entryways are visible with solar-powered lighting helps to protect both guests and residents. Choosing solar-powered porch lights will help cut energy costs. These lights are easy to install without the hassle of electrical configuration.

Porch lights should have access to direct sunlight to be used most efficiently. If a porch or partial roof cover your main entryway, consider using other forms of solar lighting like hanging lanterns placed near steps and access points that can be installed in the ground or off other parts of your home.

2. Make Pathways Safe and Accessible

Steps, walkways and heavily trafficked areas of your yard often require lighting to prevent accidents. Lighting a pathway is an easy way to ensure that guests and family members can see where they are going and avoid any obstacles. Choosing solar pathway lights is a great way to brighten your outdoor space along with adding a touch of professionalism to pathways around your home.

There are many different styles, colors and sizes available. The lights usually include a staked bottom that allows for easy installation into the ground. Small solar panels sit on top of the light fixture, soaking up the sun during the day to use at night.

3. Spotlight Featured Plants

Many homeowners have beautiful gardens surrounding their homes that seem to be forgotten once night arrives.

Consider using solar-powered spotlights to feature different plants within your outdoor living spaces. These small spotlights will draw attention to the garden and can help you enjoy your plants more throughout every season. As different plants bloom at different times of the year, the spotlights can move around the garden, depending on what is currently in bloom.

4. Guard Your Home

Floodlights are an indispensable tool when trying to guard certain areas of your home at night. They not only provide abundant light to your yard but can also deter intruders from coming near your home.

Consider choosing a solar flood light with a motion sensor that will turn on only when motion is detected. Doing so will help conserve energy and alert you to movement outdoors well past sunset. Solar-powered floodlights also help to discourage neighborhood pests that like to approach your yard at night.

5. Create Backyard Ambience

Solar-powered string lights are becoming popular with homeowners looking to upgrade their outdoor living areas. Commonly used along with patios, porches, and outdoor dining areas, string lights add to the ambiance. However, traditional string lights always need to have access to an outlet. Solar-powered string lights can be hung anywhere without the need for an electricity source.

Consider hanging solar-powered string lights around your outdoor living space as well as on individual plants or decorations within the garden to draw interest to all areas of the space. You can choose from a wide variety of lighting that will not only add beauty to your home but will also help cut energy costs.

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