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Outdoor solar lights are an easy way to conserve energy and are available in all of the same options as electric outdoor lighting, from decorative string lights and lanterns to spotlights and path lights. Moreover, their benefits go beyond lowering your electric bill and helping to save the planet.
Solar lights are easy to maintain because they automatically turn on and off according to the sunlight level. They don’t have the insulation and corrosion issues that wires do. And speaking of wires, your yard is a safer place without them – no tripping or injuries from exposed wires and less threat of fires. Another safety perk is that solar lights keep working even when the power goes out.
Many people have the misconception that solar lights won’t last very long, and that may have been true in the past. But now, with improved solar technology, solar lights can last for up to 10 hours.
Enlightening Tips
If you aren’t already using outdoor solar lights, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- A minimum of eight hours of sunshine per day is ideal to adequately charge solar lights.
- If areas of your yard are shaded, a photovoltaic panel can be used to power the solar lights in those areas. The panel can be placed on your roof or in a sunny spot in your yard and then connected to the solar lights.
- Solar lights aren’t as bright as regular lights, so you’ll need more to achieve the lighting you want. For example, you’ll probably want to use twice as many solar lights to adequately light a pathway.
- Solar lights vary in brightness according to their size and the quality of their photovoltaic cells. So a general rule of thumb is that the more expensive the solar light, the brighter it will shine.
- Solar lights emit a bright white light. If you prefer a warmer glow, purchase tinted solar lights categorized as “soft white” or “amber.”
A home’s orientation is important for those shopping for a home or piece of land to purchase. At this point, it’s easy to consider the direction the house faces. You still have the option to either keep shopping or have a home custom built.
The concept of positioning your home toward the sun to save on heating and cooling costs is called passive solar energy. Depending on where the sun is in relation to your home’s windows, it may help heat up your living space while keeping unused areas cool. The catch: there’s a lot to consider when setting up your home for effective passive solar energy.
Your energy bills are mostly impacted by the cost of heating and cooling your home. By carefully positioning the direction your home faces, as well as enhancing certain features, you can take full advantage of free solar energy. Not only does your home become more cost-efficient, but you may also create a better view, increase curb appeal and raise the resale value of your home.
Installing solar panels may be the most complicated energy-saving tactic, but it also has the largest payoff. If you’re ready to take on the project, there are a few terms to learn before you get started:
The top two factors to think about before diving deeper into solar power are 1) the climate in which you live, and 2) whether or not you have open and direct access to sunlight during the peak hours of the day (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.).
Ideally, you’d power your entire home with solar-sourced energy. However, easing into it with smaller projects can still offer big benefits. From the simplest installation to the most complex, here’s where you can use solar panels around your home:
In 2010, developer 
Speaking of going a long way, the list of energy-efficient amenities in Seabourn Cove is truly something. According to Green Builder:
First, let’s take a closer look at what passive home design really involves. The core of a passive home design is solar energy. In the case of structures that are built from the ground up, the design of the structure is inherently and intentionally planned to reduce the heating and cooling loads that the building must carry, and then meet those needs either in whole or in part with energy derived from solar panels. Homes can also often be remodeled to take advantage of passive energy benefits, starting with a 
Essentially, passive home design works because the home or building collects heat as the sun shines through the south-facing windows and retains it in building materials that store heat, known to designers as thermal mass. The materials that serve as a passive home’s thermal mass often include common building materials such as concrete, brick, stone, and tile, but can also include more unusual materials such as water. This heat is then distributed to different areas via different methods, including conduction, convection, and radiation.
It’s important to understand the fundamental principles behind passive home design before embarking on a project. 
Another interesting passive home project is nestled in the San Juan Mountains in southeastern Colorado, where the so-called 
Passive energy buildings offer their occupants tremendous short-term and long-term benefits, not only in cost but also in comfort. Passive homes in general cost five to 10 percent more to build than traditional homes, but the long-term savings in energy costs more than offsets that investment. It’s worth keeping in mind that federal, state, or community tax credits or other tangible benefits may apply to your passive home project.
The Babcock Ranch plans are incredibly ambitious. They want to build a city fueled entirely by the sun that is larger than the island of Manhattan. Babcock Ranch will have 18,000 homes, six million square feet of commerce, and ample space for trails, parks, and lakes—and K&P wants to build it over the course of just 25 years. Syd Kitson, chairman of the development group, said he wants to make Babcock Ranch the country’s most hikeable, bikeable, walkable city. Indeed, environmental friendliness is paramount for Babcock Ranch. Kitson said in 
Babcock Ranch will be the first city in America to be built on the sun. Of course, this doesn’t mean astronauts will attempt to set foot on a ball of gas that burns at 9900 degrees fahrenheit. It means that the cornerstone of Babcock Ranch will be the solar industry. Kitson has donated a plot of land that will host the FPL (Florida Power and Light Company) Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center. That 440-acre plant, the cornerstone of the town, will provide 74.5 megawatts of solar capacity to the people of Babcock Ranch.
The idea is not a new one. For years builders and homeowners have used window film to help conserve energy and achieve ZNE, such as in this 
In a smart energy home, including the SolarCity Smart Energy Home, a battery system stores solar electricity for use at night. The home’s gateway controls all energy devices to ensure maximum solar generation and consumption. An electric water heater, for example, uses solar energy collected throughout the day to heat water stored for use at night. The Nest Learning Thermostat modifies the home’s energy usage based on how much solar energy is available, ensuring the needed energy won’t be exported back to the grid.
The SolarCity Home’s technology and the size of the system that controls it are customized to the residents’ energy usage. In general, the homes offer all the comforts of other modern homes without the excessive energy use.
Much of the technology featured in today’s smart energy homes is readily available. So whether you live in Hawaii or elsewhere, there’s a strong likelihood that a smart energy home will soon be available in your neighborhood. The question, however, isn’t whether you’ll want to live in one. If you’re like most smart energy home residents, it will be how could you have ever lived without one.
From “The Quickest Ever Slideshow on Global Warming” to fun facts, this colorful site is filled with engaging activities and information. To show kids how they can save energy every day, it features a typical kid’s bedroom with interactive stars on items (click on “You Can Make Big Changes”). When you click on different stars, a window opens up to show how you can save energy with that particular item. Another neat feature is a section for parents and teachers (click on any internal page to see the gray “Parents & Teachers” tab on the bottom of the right side of the page) where you can download games and activities.
This website from the U.S. Energy Information Administration also acts as a resource for teachers, providing a whole range of 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers “A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change” on this informative website. Kids are invited to go on 
Project Sunroof’s creator, Carl Elkin, came up with the idea while volunteering for 
The final step in Project Sunroof’s service is to refer you to solar providers in your area. This may be the true genius behind Project Sunroof, because the solar providers pay Google for these referrals, which keeps Google’s shareholders happy. Currently, Project Sunroof only serves three U.S. cities: San Francisco, Fresno, and Boston, but they hope to expand their reach over time. The time is definitely right, as more and more people are turning to solar power for a reliable and affordable source of clean energy. In 2015’s first quarter, the number of U.S. solar system installations broke all records according to the