solar powered flood light

solar powered flood light

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Flood Lights: What's the Purpose of Your Purchase?

Flood lights can serve a variety of purposes. Maybe you want a little extra light at night when you're coming home from work and fumbling with your keys, or maybe you want to show off that beautiful bonsai tree in the front yard. You'll find that there are as many lighting options as there are reasons for getting them.

It's important to specify why you want the outside lighting before you make your investment. This will ensure that you find the right lighting resources to fit your needs. If you're looking for added security, you don't want to end up with lights that would have served better for lighting your pathway. Similarly, if you're looking to lengthen the daylight hours when you're throwing an evening party, you don't want to end up with fewer lights than necessary.

Here are some of the different options available to you, and the purposes they best serve.

Halogen lighting is the most common. They use light bulbs that will require routine replacement, just like any other electrical lighting you use inside. They're similar to incandescent bulbs, but they use a tungsten filament that lasts much longer. These lights give a soft, natural looking beam and can give you a wide range of brightness, depending on the wattage of the bulb.

You can get the brightest beam with halogen lighting, which means this may be your best option if you're setting up a single spotlight. This could be a motion light that comes on when someone approaches your house, or it may be something mounted on the side of your home to protect your windows from intruders.

LED lighting is one of the newer, more popular lighting options. These lights use up to 60 percent less energy than halogen ones, which can save you more money in the long run. Many homeowners consider the higher initial investment to be worth the long term discount on their utility bill. They are also more damage resistant, and the bulbs don't need to be replaced.

The brightness of LED lights varies on the number of bulbs used, so be sure to specify what your needs are when you're talking to your lighting specialist. For accent lighting, you may want a smaller cluster of bulbs. For spotlighting or security lighting, you may want a larger cluster for more light.

Solar powered flood lights come in either LED or halogen varieties. These are great for areas further away from the house, like a shed or garden, or could even be used to illuminate your driveway or prized rose bush. Often, the solar panel used to power the light can be positioned in a separate location than the light itself, which gives you more control over sun exposure for the panel. This is very important, as the running time of the light depends on how well the battery is recharged during the day. On average, a fully charged battery will run about eight hours.

These lights are very cost effective, since they aren't running on your electricity. For solar powered halogen lights, you'll need to replace the bulb every now and then, but LED bulbs won't need to be changed. Aside from your initial investment, the financial upkeep is minimal. The sun's energy recharges the battery daily. The battery itself will need to be replaced from time to time, but it lasts a long time and isn't too expensive.

All of the above flood lights are also available as motion lights, which can help save energy by coming on only when needed. This may include situations like coming home late at night and needing some light for security and convenience, or for deterring intruders. However, if you live close to a busy road, this may not be a good option for you because the light will be triggered constantly by passing traffic.

About the Author

Sandy Winslow is a writer on many topics, including home improvement and landscaping. The best flood lights for you will depend on why you're buying them.

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