Solar powered security lights can help to deter crime, however several important factors could alter their effectiveness. These include:
- Your region’s climate
- The placement of your security lights
- The brand of solar powered security light you choose
Many households and businesses implement security lights to keep the outdoor areas near their building safe and well lit.
An additional benefit is that they are portable as they typically aren’t hardwired to the structure.
In an effort to reduce carbon emissions while keeping your property secure, you may choose to go the solar route.
If you do, it’s crucial to consider a few important factors before investing in them.
Do Solar Lights Stay On All Night?
As is the case with all lights, solar lights require an energy source to perform their basic function.
Unfortunately, sunshine isn’t available 24/7, though, which may make you worry about whether solar lights would lose their power once night comes.
Fortunately, this is not typically an issue with this type of security light.
Under a full charge – which typically constitutes eight hours of direct sunlight – solar powered security lights can sustain their power throughout the night.
Therefore, if you can get your security lights up to a full charge during the day, they should last through the night.
That said, getting your lights up to a full charge over the course of a day isn’t always possible. As I mentioned above, several things can influence the ability of your solar powered security lights to fully charge.
The local climate, the brand of light you buy, and its positioning on the building can all change to amount of power that is stored during the day.
Region: First up is the region where you live. The amount of solar charge your lights will store is directly related to the amount of direct sunlight they receive.
This means that regions with more cloud cover or fewer sunlight hours will affect the charging of your solar powered security lights.
Brand: In addition, there are many brands of solar powered security lights on the market.
While most of these lights should last throughout the night on a full charge, some are made to give greater longevity than others.
So when some brands of lights begin to fade out, others will still be going strong.
Position: Finally, the positioning of your solar powered security lights will also affect their ability to charge.
The primary reason for this is that they require direct sunlight to charge, so positioning them in an area where they will be in shadow part of the day means they won’t charge as effectively.
You should also know that placing your lights in close proximity to street lighting may interfere with their sensors.
Do Solar Lights Charge On Cloudy Days?
Now, let’s look at the effectiveness of solar powered security lights.
First, to correct a frequent misconception about solar powered devices, solar lights can charge on cloudy days.
However, cloudiness or diluted sunlight will impact the effectiveness and charging of your solar lights.
This can mean several things. For one, your security lights may not shine as brightly as they would if they were charged by direct sunlight.
Another issue could be that your security lights may not shine for as long as they should – meaning they may not last through the night.
Obviously, this is a problem for someone who is thinking of buying this type of security light, but there are several solutions.
For one, several producers of solar powered security lights have integrated electrical power with solar power.
There are also some manufacturers that integrate photocell technology to generate electric current depending on the desired amount of light.
Ultimately, if you are willing to explore these workarounds or don’t mind that your lights might not be as bright or run as long, then cloudy days shouldn’t cause you to keep from buying solar powered security lights for your property.
Do Solar Powered Security Lights Work In Winter?
There is a common misconception that solar powered security lights do not work during the winter. This may be due to actual experience with cheap, faulty solar light brands.
However, as long as your solar lights get the necessary amount of direct sunlight to achieve a full charge, they should still work as expected.
There are a few things to consider that could affect your solar powered security lights, though – particularly during the wintertime.
For one, it is important to be aware of how snow can affect them.
Most solar powered security light brands can still store some solar charge even with a thin layer of snow covering their receptors.
However, a thick layer of snow will likely impede your light’s ability to fully charge.
There is an easy fix for this – simply wipe away any snow or ice covering the light’s receptors and they should be good to go.
How Long Do Solar Security Lights Last?
When buying a solar security light, one of the most important things to consider is the light’s longevity.
Again, the same factors I mentioned before can affect their longevity, including weather, positioning, and the brand of solar lights.
Above all, choosing the right brand can make all the difference in how effective and durable your solar powered security lights can be.
Most solar batteries will last 3-4 years, but the brand of lights you choose can change that number by quite a bit.
Let’s take a look at some of the most effective and durable solar powered security light brands on the market.
Baxia Technology Outdoor Solar Motion Sensor Security Lights: Baxia’s security lights are an extremely efficient and durable option due to their high-efficiency:
- Lighting
- Waterproofing
- Heat resistance
Eight hours of charge will give you 10 hours of light, and its motion sensor will utilize this light in the most efficient way possible.
DrawGreen Solar Motion Sensor Bright LED Security Lights: Everything that Baxia’s lights offer in efficiency, DrawGreen’s lights offer in pure power.
DrawGreen’s lights shine at 1400 Lumens, which is equivalent to a 110W light bulb.
Additionally, this brand is known to last upwards of 5 years, which means you won’t be sacrificing efficiency for power.
URPOWER Solar Powered Waterproof Motion Sensor Security Lights:
Although URPOWER’s lights are not quite as efficient as Baxia’s lights or as powerful as DrawGreen’s, this light brand offers one of the most inexpensive and easy to install products on the market, allowing them to compete with the best solar light brands.
LITOM Solar Powered 270 Wide Angle Motion Security Lights:
LITOM also offers an affordable light that competes with the others in both its efficiency and durability. However, it also stands apart because of its ability to cast light at a 270-degree wide angle.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, solar powered security lights are a solid option for anyone looking to reduce their carbon footprint while protecting and illuminating their home and property.
There are certainly drawbacks to consider, but most of the disadvantages of solar-powered security lights come with easy workarounds.
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