Of all of the kinds of lighting that you can install around your home, solar outdoor lighting systems are the easiest and safest of all to install. This article will help you learn more about solar lighting and help answer some questions that you may have as well.

The really good news is that there is absolutely no wiring at all in solar outdoor lighting. You shouldn't get solar lighting confused with low voltage outdoor lighting instead. Low voltage lighting still has to be plugged into a power outlet in order to function, even though the voltage level is very low and relatively safe. But solar lighting is powered entirely by sunlight.

That means that each light contains a specifically designed solar collection panel that gathers energy during the day, stores it up in rechargeable batteries, and then uses that energy to power the lights at night.

Not only are solar lighting fixtures extremely environmentally friendly, but they're also inexpensive to buy, and cost absolutely nothing to run.

Some of the places that you can install solar lighting fixtures are on entrances to your driveway to help illuminate it at night, at darkened areas of your walkway or steps, as decoration for your patio, wood deck, or landscaping, and perhaps to bring attention to a particular architectural feature of your home at night. Whatever function you choose, one of the big advantages to using this kind of outdoor lighting is that you don't have to run cables or wiring of any kind. All you have to do is just install the light itself by pushing it into the ground in the location you desire. You just have to make sure that each light will be able to get a good amount of sunlight each day in order to function properly at night.

Amazingly, most solar lights are able to last a very long time on the light they receive from the sun each day. In fact, many are able to last up to 15 hours on a fully charged set of batteries.

One thing you should know about solar lighting is that the light that is emitted is not as bright as other forms of outdoor landscape lighting. Whether or not you consider this a disadvantage will probably depend on your individual taste. Many people consider that the soft, more subtle light that these fixtures put out actually help set the mood better than brighter lighting anyway.

As far as maintenance is concerned, there really isn't much. Basically, if a light stops functioning there's not much to do with it other than just throw it away and replace it. If however, it only needs to have the batteries replaced they are usually readily available at most home improvement stores.

So is you can see, a solar outdoor lighting system is quick and easy to install, adds character and mood to your home at night, is inexpensive to buy, easy to maintain, and cost nothing to run.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find out more about home lighting design and discount lighting fixtures by visiting our Home Improvement website.