Well-designed outdoor lighting provides several benefits, but to extend those benefits even further, consider using solar lighting instead of tapping into the electrical grid for traditional lights. As I’ll explain below, you’ll reap more benefits than their evident ease of use and energy efficiency.
Cost and Environmental Benefits
Solar lights harness energy from the sun instead of your home’s electrical source. While they reduce the impact on your wallet, they also reduce the impact on the environment because they don’t require additional resources to keep them lit.
You’ve probably heard much of that already, so I want you to think more broadly.
Beyond Common Knowledge: Broader Impacts
Most people don’t consider this consequence, but using too many lights in your yard or garden will affect the natural cycles of plants and animals.
Like humans, plants and animals have natural cycles that depend on sunrise and sunset. To minimize the impact on these cycles, try not to use excessively bright lights and turn them off when you’re not using them.
Don’t over-light your yard. Too much light looks unattractive, contributes to light pollution, and bothers your neighbors.
Strategic Lighting Placement and Intensity
Focus your light sources on what you will use at night, like the patio or deck. Consider illuminating only a few landscaped areas to highlight them and make them distinct focal points.
Use light fixtures around stairways, pathways, and entryways for safety, visibility, and navigation, but consider and plan each fixture’s light radius. Keep a light source intended for a single staircase from spilling into unnecessary space. If your whole yard glows, you won’t notice the specific lighting techniques you carefully selected.
Use low-intensity lights when possible. Sometimes, bright lights wash out features you want to enhance. If you let this happen, they appear cold and sterile instead of cozy and inviting. For ideas on smart outdoor lighting design, read my guide: Landscape Lighting Techniques.
Benefits Beyond Illumination
Beyond the visual appeal, this ambiance contributes to the psychological well-being of residents and visitors. Exercising restraint will help you compose a serene retreat for relaxation or an atmospheric space for social gatherings.
Solar lights are also renowned for their durability and low maintenance. Unlike traditional lighting, solar lights better resist weather-related wear and tear, thanks to their self-contained design. Increased durability leads to fewer replacements, reducing waste and overall plastic usage.
By choosing solar lights, homeowners reap aesthetic and psychological benefits and contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle.
The Wise Use of Solar Landscape Lights
Less is more here. Make sure you choose and use lighting wisely to maximize benefits without unnecessarily impacting the environment, your neighbors, the plants, or the animals.