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15 Solar Christmas Lights That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

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Christmas lights are one of the best parts of decorating for the holidays, but they can end up costing you a pretty penny — that is, unless, you’re using the best solar Christmas lights for your display. Since the sun powers these gorgeous bulbs, high electric bills— not to mention faulty power outlets and broken batteries — will be a thing of the past. 

Like all solar-powered lighting, solar Christmas lights also allow you to light your home without contributing to harmful greenhouse gas emissions the way that regular energy consumption does. Keep reading to find out how they work and where to pick up the best solar Christmas lights to make your home more merry and bright.

Benefits of Solar Christmas Lights

Though similar in appearance to regular holiday lights, solar Christmas lights get their energy directly from the sun instead of your power outlet. That means that not only will you be cutting back on CO2 footprint, you’ll be saving money on your electricity bill — a fact that’s music to any Christmas light-lover’s ears in the month of December. 

Energy.gov estimates that the LED bulbs found in solar Christmas lights will see you paying $17.99 to light a tree for 10 holiday seasons as opposed to the $122.19 it would cost you to use regular, incandescent bulbs. What’s not to love?

How do solar powered Christmas lights work?

Solar Christmas lights have intricate scientific concepts behind them. Essentially, your lights come with a mini solar panel that takes its energy from the biggest star in the sky and funnels it into a battery, which has a diode (an electrical device that allows a current to flow easily in one direction while stopping it from flowing in the opposite direction) to keep energy from escaping. 

Once night falls, a light-detecting controller board signals the artificial lights to turn on. Hours later, when the sun comes back up, this same board switches the lights off and the process begins all over again.

How to Fix Solar Christmas lights

You bought them, set them up, and ta-da! They’re not working. Before you find your receipt and get ready to head back to the store, there are a few solutions you can try. First, double-check that the lights are switched on and any tabs or stickers are removed. 

If you have this all in place and the bulbs are still putting up a fight, make sure that the solar panel is clean of any dust or dirt and facing the direction of the sun. A final option is to switch the lights off and let them recharge for a few days to make sure the battery is full.

The Best Solar Christmas Lights

Ready to get decorating? From white lights that will turn your home into a winter wonderland to multi-colored displays that are both joyful and triumphant, we’ve rounded up 15 solar Christmas light displays to round out your holiday décor. Keep scrolling to shop FIRST for Women’s favorite Christmas solar lights below. 

We write about products we think our readers will like. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the supplier. 

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