Can I replace my existing Christmas lights with Solar Power?

Christmas time creeps on us pretty fast every year and we always end up searching for more energy efficient ways to light up our living rooms.  

Energy bills are rising 😭 , however LED technology has come a very long way over the past few years meaning we can harness the power of the sun and light up our Christmas trees with solar power - cutting our costs!

If we cast our minds back to when LED lights were first made, they were quite dull, now we have incredibly bright solar lights waiting to be untangled for your Christmas tree.

Solar powered Christmas lights can be nearly as bright as standard mains powered Christmas lights, but with a decent battery, can also save you money long into your festive evenings.

Indoor Solar Powered Christmas Decorations

If your intention is to use only solar powered fairy lights for your decoration, then it's worth noting that although solar panels large and small will still collect energy - they are not as efficient when placed behind glass windows.

Solar panels will still collect their energy from ambient light and charge the batteries during the day - so you should be absolutely fine if you want to solar power that Christmas Star you snapped up on Amazon.

Discover the additional uses for solar fairy lights by tacking on some very popular Christmas themed projects such as:

• Christmas centre pieces
• Fairy jar lights
• Light up presents
• Snow Village with lights

The possibilities are truly endless when using solar Christmas lights.

Can I replace my door wreath lights with solar LEDs?

A project I worked on with my wife last year was our very home-made front door Christmas Wreath.  The Wreath looked lovely and welcoming, however once the sun had set - it looked dark and boring.

We added a small set of solar fairy lights, and hey presto - we had a welcoming door wreath solar powered Christmas decoration.

Using Solar Powered LED Lights for your outdoor decorations

Outdoor solar Christmas lights are probably one of the simplest waterproof outdoor lighting products on the market, not only are they available in multiple lengths, but you can place them where you want without the added hassle of finding a mains power source.

One thing I find amazing with Solar Lights is you can turn them on, and forget about them, so no expensive timers, no additional wiring - just a lovely looking pre-lit outdoor space.

We have a lovely cracked glass lamp shade hanging from our Gazebo roof, it looks amazing in the summer when the nights are short... but we found stuffing the empty shade with solar powered lights (suitable for outdoor), and then placing the solar panel in sunlight gives the patio a lovely red glisten (the shade is red).

Christmas time is more than often spent indoors with family and friends (well... unless you're in lockdown), however we do spend a lot of time making our houses and gardens Christmas themed - in fact, I have an unspoken running competition with one of our neighbours.

Outdoor solar lamps require no mains power - setting up your festive masterpiece is a breeze!

Outdoor solar lights seem too good to be true at times, and although there are some major differences between mains & solar, the benefits I feel really outweigh the negatives.

• Light weight
• Ongoing Costs = 0
• Easy to Fit
• Place in hard to reach areas

Solar Fairy Lights for your garden are a real cost effective way of bringing lovely ambient light to:

• Patio Areas
• Fencing
• Home Outdoor Bars
• Gazebos

Will using Solar Powered Fairy Lights save me money?

Each year my family has an indoor Christmas Tree with multiple sets of lights, although all the LED lights are cheap to run, I do imagine our electric meter is spinning like a helicopter when the tree lights get's turned on.

What to consider when using any lights ion your home

I have already referenced Nation Lampoons Christmas Vacation above with the spinning electric meter, but it's worth noting that every year multiple fires break out in homes due to Christmas Lights.

Solar Powered lights are not fire proof, but I do feel that if they are only being powered by a couple of rechargeable batteries and the sun - the overall risk to faulty wiring / cat's nibbling at the plugs.. is reduced greatly.

Conclusion

So after testing out solar lights (indoor and outdoor) I feel they are great to add to any home or garden.  Not only do I feel they are saving the planet.... but I don't have random cold sweats in the middle of the night... "did I turn the lights off?".

Solar Christmas Lights with the current light output will never truly match those that are mains powered, but they are are much more versatile and don't require wires trailing along your floor to new extension cable you purchase each year (yup!)!

I hope you found article interesting, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below!