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A good thing to do early on in any landscaping project is to set a budget for the time and money the project will cost. A good budget is even more important for landscape lighting projects. A big source of expense in landscape lighting is running electrical power everywhere you want lights. Running extension cords all over the place is NOT an option since this is very unsafe. A licensed electrician with experience in outdoor work and fixtures is needed. An additional potential cost is the need to dig trenches to run wires. In new construction this is no big deal. However, in an established garden or landscape this can be a big problem, especially if it has paved areas. One way to reduce the expense of electrical wiring is to use solar powered lights and fountains in your landscaping project. Read on for an example landscape lighting budget comparing traditional and solar lighting.
 Example traditional project to provide landscape lighting for a 1 acre area: | Item | Type | Cost | Total | | Electrician | Labor | 16 hours @ $50/hr | $800 | | Cables | Materials | 200 feet @ $2/foot | $400 | | Ditch Witch | Equipment | 1 day @ $300/day | $300 | | Lights/Fountains | Material | $1200 | $1200 | | Mounting/Placing | Labor | 16 hours @ $20/hr | $320 | | Fixtures/Outlets/Mounts | Materials | $200 | $200 | | | | Total: | $3220 | Example solar project to provide landscape lighting for a 1 acre area: | Item | Type | Cost | Total | | Solar Survey | Labor | 4 hours @ $50/hr | $200 | | Cables | Materials | 60 feet @ $1/foot | $60 | | Solar Panels | Equipment | 2 X $150 | $300 | | Batteries | Material | $150 | $150 | | Lights/Fountains | Material | $1500 | $1500 | | | | Total: | $2210 |
Taking a quick look at the budget table might make solar seem like a slam dunk. However, solar has some disadvantages as well.
Disadvantages of solar: - Duration- Lights will not be on all night, every night.
- Location sensitive -Solar is not suitable for sites that are heavily shaded. Different sites in the same area might have different performance.
Don't write solar off though, it is the best choice for most people. Here is a list of the advantages of solar landscape lighting: - Cost - Solar is almost always much less expensive to deploy
- Reliability - Solar works even when the power grid is down.
- Emergency - Solar landscape lighting can also double as emergency lighting.
- Safety - Solar landscape lighting and fountains are 12 volt or 6 volt systems which is much safer for outdoor use than house current.
- Remote Areas - Solar might be the only option for a remote area.
- Ease of Installation - Solar lighting is generally easier to install than traditional lighting.
- Flexibility - Solar lighting is generally much easier to move than traditional lighting.
- Maintenance - Batteries in solar lights need to be replaced every 2 or 3 years. The cost of the batteries is offset by savings in your electric bill. The lights and solar panels last for many years.
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