Homeowners in Charlotte know that adding landscape lighting to your yard will boost curb appeal and contribute to enhanced safety through better visibility. What they don’t always know though is, when it comes to landscape lighting installation, which option, LED or solar cells, is right for their yard? While both options are great for both curb appeal and improving visibility, let’s explore the difference between the two to help you decide which option you’d prefer for your installation.
Understanding LED Lights
LED is an acronym for light-emitting diode. Although that is an unclear technical term for some, the idea is relatively straightforward: LEDs are designed to emit bright light for up to 50,000 hours with minimal electricity consumption. Homeowners interested in cost-saving are fond of them for their energy efficiency and also because they can use them for years without having to replace them.
Led bulbs are reliable landscape lighting solutions that are hardwired directly into your home’s electrical system ensuring a consistent source of power. This consistent power source from your home ensures these bulbs stay bright even on the cloudiest of days and long nights.
How Solar Cells Work
Unlike LEDs that derive their power from your home’s electricity system, every solar-powered landscape light draws power from the sun during the daylight hours and stores it in a built-in battery. The bulb is then powered by the stored sun energy at night to turn the bulb on.
Solar lights are easier to install when compared to their counterpart, the LED, since they do not require access to the electricity system in your home. To install, they are simply planted into the ground, and in the evening they emit light powered by the stored sun energy.
Bulbs powered by the sun have increased in popularity over the years due to them being much more environmentally friendly and a better cost-saving solution than LEDs. The disadvantage is though, that performance is not as reliable as LEDs since their light emission quality is largely reliant on stored sun energy, which can become an issue with consecutive cloudy days.
Choosing the Right Fit for Charlotte Homes
So which option is better for landscape lighting in Charlotte? It really depends on your goals. If you want an eye-catching, long-lasting installation that will make your house shine every evening, consider using LEDs. They are reliable, strong, and ideal in homes where the owners desire a sleek appearance. While solar lights are a fast and easy option for adding a bit of light to your yard without spending much.
Many landscape insulation companies in Charlotte, like Easy Living Technologies, can help you choose one, or the other, and even a combination of both. Your professional landscape lighting setup can be a mixture of LEDs to illuminate your main paths and recreation areas, and an installation of solar lamps in areas like your garden to provide decorative effects.
There’s no denying that DIY solar lights are quick and easy, but professional landscape lighting installation with LEDs, or a combination of both is the answer to taking your yard’s curb appeal to the next level. Regardless of the lighting option you choose, investing in landscape lighting is always worthwhile.