A Quick Guide to Choosing Solar LEDs for Your Garden

LED lights are taking over the majority of home lighting tasks, both for indoor and outdoor applications. The superior durability of LED lighting makes them an ideal choice for landscape lighting, in particular, garden lighting. And when combined with solar cell technology, LEDs, which require up to 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, can be self-sufficient.

If you’re thinking of installing solar LED garden lamps in your [city] home, here are 6 details you need to watch out for.

Battery Life

Make it a point to dig into the battery life of the solar LED. Most brands would label their light’s battery life based on a 24 hour cycle, which is usually about eight to ten hours. But this battery span is usually based on best-case scenarios in controlled environments.

Keep in mind that the light may not last you the full 8 to 10 hours so it’s best to pick a model that has a larger battery capacity.

Solar Panel Size

When it comes to solar-powered lights, the bigger the solar panel of the unit, the higher its charging capacity, which means it can either have a brighter light output or longer battery life. Although some feel that a large solar panel takes away from the aesthetics of the light fixture, you do get better bang for buck when installing units with big panels. If you’re concerned with aesthetics, some manufacturers integrate the panels into the lamp’s design resulting in a pleasing overall appearance.

Pre-Charging Requirements

Some LED garden lights might require you to charge them before can be used. They need to be exposed to sunlight for a few days to charge their built-in batteries. Others, however, will come pre-charged. Be sure to read the packaging of the device to see if it needs pre-charging.

IP Rating

IP stands for Ingress Protection, which lets you know how resistant the LED device is to water and dust. When choosing a solar LED lamp, or any outdoor light fixtures for that matter, you want to get something with an IP44 rating, which means the device is weatherproof (against rain and snow). This should ensure your LED lights will withstand the wear and tear for the elements.

Sensors

A great feature found in most LED outdoor lighting is a sensor that switches the unit on and off depending on specific conditions in the environment. Some LEDs have dusk-till-dawn sensors that will automatically switch the light on when it’s dark and switch off when exposed to sunlight. Other devices have motion sensors that switch on the device when they detect movement. This is a useful security and safety feature.

Ease of Installation

A main selling point of solar LEDs is their ease of installation and use. With some devices, all you need to do is stick the unit into the ground and it’s good to go. Some devices, however, will require some basic assembly.

Keep these factors in mind when looking for solar LED lights for your garden and outdoor spaces to save time and money when making your purchase.