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We must be living in the future because what's sitting outside of many houses these days looks like it could have been mounted on the outside of the Starship Enterprise. I say this for two reasons. One, is the very look of them. They look futuristic, like the warp drive engines that you see on the show, and the other thing is what they do. I'm talking about solar yard lighting.

More Affordable

Solar yard lighting is the new way that people are illuminating their yards at night. Solar energy has been around for years, but now it's compact enough and, while still a little pricey, is more in the affordable range. The great thing is, in the long run, it actually costs less to buy these things.

Stylistically, many of these lights have a sleek and angular metal-and-plastic look, it still have a bit of a classical street-light feel to it. Of course, if you want a more old-fashioned appearance, those are available, too. Whatever your home, yard or garden area, you'll find something that will blend in with the decor.

Why It's A Good Idea To Get Them

There are many reasons to have solar yard lighting installed. First and foremost, there's security. When your yard is lit up, it's hard for anything to hide in the shadows. If you're coming home and getting out of the car, it's reassuring to have a lighted path up to your house. Or if you're already in your house, you can look outside anytime to see what's out there. No more guessing, fumbling for the porch light or digging out the flashlight. The lights reveal all.

Another reason is safety. Porch lights are nice, but what if you forget to turn it on before you leave, or you don't know you're going to come home after dark? It's easy to trip over something on the way to the front door, even if the thing is on. You think one dim bulb on your house is going to make your entire front yard safe? What about your back yard?

Then there's money. How much of your hard-earned cash goes to paying the power bill when you turn on the porch light at noon because you're going to come home after dark? Not only is that wasteful financially, but it's bad environmentally.

Simple To Set Up

The easy and simple solution to this is to buy a few solar lights and install them. You don't have to run any wiring to them, and most come already assembled. Just get out the screwdriver or drill. It's a self-contained unit with the solar cell, a battery that collects the solar energy during the day, an LED light, and a light detector to sense when the sun's gone down. Once installed, it's all automatic. Since you're not running it into your home power supply, you're not shelling out the power company to keep these light lit all night long.

Solar yard lighting is stylish, secure and a money-saver. Isn't living in the future great?