Planning and installing a complete outdoor lighting design can become expensive. If you’re on a budget (who isn’t?), you may be looking for a cheap outdoor lighting solution. Keep reading to learn how to get the most for your money.
So, you’ve decided you want to light up the sidewalk or maybe highlight your landscaping. But, there’s a catch… you don’t want to spend a lot of money. The best cheap outdoor lighting solution is low-voltage lighting kits, and solar lighting.
A low-voltage lighting kit usually includes:
- A transformer (steps down the voltage to 12v)
- A set of lights
- A wire to carry the current
These kits are relatively inexpensive at a cost of just a couple hundred dollars. Most kits allow for additional lights to be purchased and installed. However, if you find that your lighting isn’t as bright as you’d like, you should remove some lights (cover the point of connection with electrical tape). You could purchase an additional transformer that is made to support more lights, but it may be the most cost effective to simply purchase another kit.
Another cheap outdoor lighting solution is to use (or supplement your current design) solar lighting. Solar lights convert sunlight into electricity and stores it for use when the sun has gone down. This means that you don’t need to buy and install a transformer or run a wire along the ground. Solar lights cost between $30 to $40 each.