By Linn Smith

“My rating today depends on where the light energy comes from, the grid or the sun.”

September 25, 2017—-We all love driving around at Christmas time, looking at the multi-colored Christmas lights that decorate our neighborhoods. My family likes to rate them on a scale of 1-10, which would end in a discussion of the pros and cons of the lit up yard full of decorations. We had our rating scale, a one on our scale was for just a few white lights and a 10 was a yard full of colored lights and decorations.

My rating today depends on where the light energy comes from, the grid or the sun.  Is the utility bill higher in December because of an abundance of Christmas lights….or are we taking what’s free from the Sun?

Make it a solar Christmas.

Solar Christmas Lighting

A string of Christmas lights uses a small solar panel which sticks into the ground. Some are adjustable for optimum charging with the angle of the sun.

http://www.Solartechnologyhub.com reviews several types of outdoor Christmas lighting. The Editor’s Choice is a string of lights from http://www.innootech.com. This string is almost 20 ft long, is water resistant, and fully charges in 6-8 hours. They will light up your yard for 8-10 hours and cost about $14.00. Also from this site are colorful flower solar strings for the same price. This solar string has an adjustable solar panel design for direct sunlight all year around.

Walmart has a variety of indoor/outdoor solar Christmas lights in the store and online ranging from $10-$20, plus many more stores today, such as Home Depot, are carrying them on their shelves.

Advantages of Solar Christmas Lights

1. Though Christmas lights can be relatively inexpensive when running off of grid electricity, use what is free, the sun!

2. Christmas lighting is comparable to other lighting.

3. Solar lighting withstands rain and snow.

4. No extension cords to worry about.

Whether you save a few cents or a few dollars on your electrical bill , it is still free and environmentally friendly. Think Green!

You can recycle Christmas lights at Ace Hardware, Home Depot or most recycling centers.

Go Solar!

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