Monday 23 April 2012

SOLAR LIGHTS, UTILITARIAN OR WHIMSICAL?

SOLAR LIGHTS, UTILITARIAN OR WHIMSICAL?
Solar lights
are a wonderful invention and getting more popular as energy costs for electricity keep going up. Some people choose to buy the cheapest solar lights they can find and are able to get quite creative working with what they have. I recently read an article about a lady who bought several solar stake lights and used them in frosted decorative jars to line up on a deck or flat based handrails. Some are looking for the high end solar spot lights that will project enough light to illuminate their patriotic flags. In these cases, I have found that not just any spot light will do, it needs to be ultra bright and able to project light to at least 10 feet high. Anything less tends to be a disappointment and the customer is not satisfied with the product.
The great thing about solar landscape lights is that all you require is sunlight, sunlight, and more sunlight! Since sunshine is totally free and not likely to go up in price anytime soon, that is until the Government can figure out how to collect tax on these products after they have been purchased, these solar products have become a hot selling item that businesses are quickly trying to cash in on.
Now some will buy solar garden lights stricly to provide guidance and safety along a pathway or near steps but so many are using solar lights in a decorative way to create themes in their garden or yards. When you go for a nightly stroll, you are bound to come across a yard that seems to collect gnome solar light statues or angel solar light statues. Animal lovers will go for animal statues possibly holding an elegant lantern or even a solar address number sign in the mouth. I am sure all have come across the changing color solar stake light butterflies or dragonflies that are very common and often used in
beautiful flower pots. When we stroll in front of these homes, I am sure I am not alone in feeling just a bit happier inside for the view. Folks are not just lighting up their homes during the holidays anymore but on a year round basis. Solar lights are a good thing and certainly the way of the future. In fact, during recent travels in an RV resort in Southern Texas, I was amazed at the amount of solar lights folks are travelling with. Even those who want to pack lite are bringing along some type of solar lights. It really is a product that most will not do without.
Solar rope lights are also extremely popular amongst the RVers.

BENEFITS OF SOLAR ROPE LIGHTS VS. ELECTRIC ROPE LIGHTS

BENEFITS OF SOLAR ROPE LIGHTS VS. ELECTRIC ROPE LIGHTS

Decorating your basement or simply designing your home for the holidays comes with several options for consumers to consider in lighting, especially with technology having evolved into what it is presently. Today, we’ll outline how solar lights stack up against electric rope lights that most people are used to purchasing for their homes or even businesses.  We measured quality, durability and overall value that both present to the marketplace. You’ll be amazed at the end results of our tests and comprehensive research as outlined below.
Appearance
Both the electric and solar rope lights have an outward appearance similar to one another.  They are sheathed in thick plastic housing and often times come in similar lengths; where the both differ is actually in the flexibility of each, with solar lighting having slightly more elasticity and ability to bend around areas where electric lights would normally snap bulbs.  This advantage alone is large enough to compel people to choose solar rope lighting as appearance is everything to home owners.
Energy Savings
This is the largest and most obvious place where solar rope lights trump electric lights.  Since solar lighting is charged by the sun’s power, there will never be surprises on your monthly electric bill.  Electric rope lights, however, have increased home owner’s electric bills by up to 20% in certain cases, making them invaluable for those who simply want exterior lighting to enhance their home’s outer beauty.  Since most solar lights use extra bright LED bulbs to emit different colors of light, this makes solar rope lighting easily the best value for families and businesses to spruce up their scenery.  Solar rope lights come with batteries that recharge their panels with the sun’s assistance during the day time; in the case of power outages, solar lights can mean the world to those who’ve lost power whereas electric rope lights use the electricity that’s out of service during outages, rendering them useless.
Durability
One issue that’s tough to get around is the fact the plastic tends to attract condensation on the inside of the plastic housing; this is not an issue with solar rope lighting as they are built to handle the coldest, wettest, windiest and otherwise nasty outside conditions without showing signs of condensing.  Electric rope lights, on the other hand, tend to have issues with interior condensation and will not last through a single winter.  For those who want beautifully lit up homes year round, definitely choose solar rope lighting for this reason, especially if you don’t wish to buy new lighting every spring.
Cost Effectiveness
Most customers will shoot straight for the point and want to know the cost of the lighting.  Since electrical lighting must go through more processes to be manufactured, it generally costs more than your solar rope lighting.  Since solar rope lighting is currently more accessible than other types of rope lighting, it also makes the costs incrementally lower as well.  Overall, not many electrical rope lights are cost effective for the home owner which is why many people go for the solar powered rope lights for exterior décor needs.
Color Choices
We’ve found that most electrical rope lighting comes in just red, blue, white and that’s pretty much it.  Solar rope lighting, however, comes in all of them plus orange, yellow, purple, and many other rainbow or pastel colors for coordination with exteriors of any color.
Taken all facets of rope lighting into account, it just makes more economical sense to choose the power type that will save money for the home owner, offer a brighter solution for exterior beautification, and give families something to enjoy year round without ramifications from weather damage.  The clear winner of our comparison is the solar rope lights, offering brighter bang for your buck while not sacrificing usability, flexibility, elasticity or length.  In fact, many of the solar rope lights come in longer lengths than electrical rope lighting.