Solar vs Wired Garden Lighting
Solar is fine for gentle decoration; wired is what you need for a real scheme. The physics is unavoidable: a small panel in a British December cannot bank enough energy to drive a meaningful beam for five hours. Solar suits a marked path in summer. It does not light a tree.
| Solar | Wired 12V | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical usable output | Low, and falling through the night | Full, consistent output all evening |
| Winter performance | Poor — short days, low sun | Unaffected |
| Install cost | Minimal | Higher — cable and labour |
| Lifespan | 2–4 years typical | 15–20 years with maintenance |
| Control and dimming | None to minimal | Zones, timers, dimming, scenes |
| Best use | Decorative path marking | Features, terraces, safety, whole schemes |
Where solar genuinely earns its place
- Somewhere cable cannot reach. A far allotment corner, a detached shed on a separate plot, a rented garden where digging is not allowed.
- Temporary or seasonal decoration. Summer party lighting, festoon in a pergola, a marked route to a gate for a few months.
- Testing an idea. Sticking a cheap solar spike where you think an uplight might go is a legitimate way to trial a position before committing to cable.
The coastal reality
Salt air is unkind to solar fittings specifically. The panel surface hazes and dulls, cutting charging further, and the cheap plastic housings and battery contacts corrode quickly. Along the seafront at Hastings and St Leonards, solar stake lights routinely fail within a couple of seasons — which is why so many end up in the bin rather than being repaired.
A fair middle ground
If budget is the constraint, a small wired scheme done properly beats a large solar one every time. Light three focal points with quality wired fittings and leave the rest dark — that reads as deliberate. Twenty dim solar spikes read as neglect.
Spend the budget where it shows
A design visit works out what your garden really needs and what it costs, with a fixed itemised quote and no obligation.
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Hastings Garden Lighting Co.
