Finding and Using Solar Christmas Lights

 If you have decided to help the planet and save power by using Solar Christmas Lights this Holiday Season, you might be wondering how you should go about choosing what lights would be best for you.  The answer to this question starts with a question, “What effect are you trying to create with your Holiday lighting?” Do you have a plan in mind or are you looking to just use your solar Christmas lights to line the roof or porch? These are questions that only you can answer but they are questions you should look at if you are buying any quantity of LED lighiting. 

 Fairy lights can create a very light but dramatic effect especially if you get any quantity of snow, as they can be used on the snow and in the trees to create a very beautiful effect. Since these are very tiny lights they create that “cloud of color effect”. You can buy fairy lights in a variety of colors and they are a quite popular choice these days.

You might however be looking for a more traditional look with larger bulbs. You could decorate your trees in a traditional fashon, or you could line your roof top and edges of your house with strings of lights. Note that in both of the options presented so far you could chose LEDs that change colors, which is something incandescent lights cannot do. 

Now in chosing your lights there are a few things to look for:  1) You want to be sure to look for lights labeled “ultra bright” LEDs.  2) You will want to ensure they are powered with Ni-MH batteries which last up to 3 times longer than Ni-Cd (lead acid) batteries. These batteries also will charge on a cloudy day and are not affected by being only partially charged.  3) Make sure that the solar panel has EVA laminated encapsulation, which has strong UV-resistance and a lifetime of 10 years, because othe epoxy methods only last 2 years or so. Since the LEDs have a very long life you would then have a string of perfectly fine lights with no power source.

Now you might want to note that Solar Christmas Lights are becoming popular as decorations at wedings and other holiday occations.  Just the other day I saw Solar Halloween lights which simply had orange bulbs instead of the traditional Christmas colors.  The fairy lights have become popular for routine yard decorations.  So in choosing your lights you might look at whether you might be using them in other ways as well.

Well I hope I have given you some useful information and I wish you a Happy Holiday Season.