Solar Christmas Lights - Brightening Your Holidays with No Energy Costs

By John Monsholi

Solar Christmas lights are a very popular and cost effective Christmas decoration. Such lights will save you up to 100 watts per each string. Another advantage of solar Christmas lights is that you will never have to turn them on or off. The lights will start to shine on their own in the evening, making for a magical Christmas.

One of the advantages of solar Christmas lights is that they eliminate the need of a power outlet. You can decorate any tree in your garden, no matter how far away it is from the house. Decorating your Christmas trees this way is much safer, easier and more cost-effective.

Small solar panels of solar Christmas lights can be conveniently placed on a tree branch or stuck into the ground. The panels usually include four solar cells, a light sensor and a regular rechargeable AA battery. The cells are capable of converting solar energy into regular electricity. A bright and sunny day, will allow the battery to completely recharge.

Solar Christmas lights are also available with special built-in polycrystalline cells, which better absorb the sunlight, allowing the lights to shine bright even after a snowy, rainy or an overcast day.

How to calculate how long the lights will shine after the sun goes down? It is actually quite easy. Solar Christmas lights will usually stay on for about one hour at night, after being charged for about one hour in the daytime. Therefore, if the area where you live gets about eight hours of sun per day, you will also get about eight hours of shining lights in the evening.

Most common shapes of solar Christmas lights include: round, oval and teardrop shapes. Most common colors include: blue, red, green, and yellow. You can choose the type of light to your preference; some lights have soft and dim light, while others have bright and clear light.

There is no need to put down your solar Christmas lights after Christmas is over. You can use these lights to decorate your deck, the pathways, as well as you can use them for different other holidays, such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Not everybody lives in an area with constant sunshine. It is better to opt for the solar Christmas lights, which are operated with a rechargeable AA size battery. If the day was rainy or snowy, the homeowners can recharge the battery themselves with a regular battery charger.

Main advantages of solar Christmas lights are that they will allow homeowners to save hundreds of dollars on their electric bills. Other advantages include eliminating the need in electrical outlets, not having to turn the lights on and off, and not having to worry about the wires running across your yard.

A good idea would be to watch your garden for a couple of days prior to placing your solar Christmas lights. You would need to ensure that the area where you want the lights placed, does not have a shadow cast. Furthermore, make sure to place the solar panel of your solar Christmas lights so that it is directly in the sunlight. - 30234

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