Short answer is YES!
Now we’ll tell you 6 reasons why Solar Lights Are worth it!
People often ask us, “Are Solar Lights Worth It?” And we have six reasons why solar lights are worth it! There are many ways to light your home and your evenings, but with climate change and the reality that the earth only has a limited amount of fossil fuels, Solar Energy and Solar lights are worth it in general for the long run.
6 Reasons Why Solar Light is Worth it.
#1 Save money on your electric bill.
You don’t need to plug into the grid at all! Solar lights can go anywhere and you never have to plug them into a wall outlet. This can reduce your electricity bill by 20–30%. How do we know? We tested it with our friends and family. We challenged them to only use solar lanterns and solar lights every night for a whole month and then checked their electricity bill compared to previous months. Most testers saved 20% on their electric bill and some even saved 30% or more! Try using your Solarpuff Solar light instead of a regular lamp for a few hours instead of plugging into the grid. Solar lights are worth it because you can save money on your electricity bill. We bet you will see a difference.
#2 Lower your carbon footprint.
Just using our Solar light one hour a night for one year (instead of a light bulb) will save 90 lbs of carbon emissions per year. Solar Lanterns which have LEDs emit the least amount of CO2. Incandescent bulbs create 4,500 lbs. of CO2 per year. CFLs create slightly less at 1,051 lbs. of emissions per year. LED bulbs create the least at only 451 lbs. of CO2 per year. In a study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, it was found that by replacing only one light bulb in every house in the U.S. with an LED bulb would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9 billion pounds. Just something as simple as switching one light bulb can have a huge environmental impact. Solar light is worth it to help mitigate climate change. Each small step makes a huge impact if we all work together!
#3 No batteries needed.
No one wants to go and buy more batteries, EVER. Solar lights are worth it when you don’t need to go buy more acid-cell batteries! With solar lights and solar lanterns you never have to! Plus, acid cell batteries leak acid and this destroys our planet. According to the EPA, Americans waste 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, and flashlights. Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical electrolytes to produce the battery’s power and at the end of the life cycle, they leach lead acid.
Less Waste. = Better Planet: It is estimated that 3 billion batteries are thrown away each year by Americans, a population of 323 million people. Running the math on 3 billion new battery users, using at a rate of Americans that 3 billion batteries thrown away annually turns into nearly 28 billion batteries thrown away annually. Solar lights are economical compared to the amount of money you would spend for 5 years getting batteries for a portable light or flashlight. Solar lights are better than flash lights.
#4 Beautiful design.
We believe that wonder, awe, and beauty have value. Design matters because it gives any space a sense of dignity. There is so much thought and design put into our Solar lanterns that people start to smile and even cry with joy when we go on to our humanitarian missions to deliver lights to those in need. But here in the developed world, we see kids love to play with them and event planners love to use our solar lanterns for brightening up events and photoshoots. Parties are set with modern and sleek solar lights that make any event relaxing and fun. One Solight fan put them all along their fence and lit up their entire yard! Our design is origami-inspired and modeled after the Origami Balloon. See how to make one here.
#5 Easy maintenance and Waterproof.
You don’t need to think about charging the solar lanterns, just place them on the window sill during the day with the free energy from the sun, your solar light will shine bright through the night. You can even leave the solar light outside! The rain and wind will not deter the durability and beauty of the SolarPuff, Solar Helix, or Twilight lanterns. Solar lights look awesome hanging in the garden or even your room! They are waterproof due to the solar panel and circuit being in their own sealed bladder. You can even put them in your pool or bathtub. You don’t have to worry about fires or burns from candles. They are easy to take with you when you’re on a hike or pop open to float in your bathtub and light your relaxing soak to ease the day away.
#6 Perfect for power outages.
When the power fails, what do you do? Flashlights are becoming obsolete. Who wants to have to hold a light when you can use a solar lantern that looks great and give you relaxing and stress free light. Because of climate change, more and more outages are happening throughout the country and abroad. This article from Popular Science shows that the USA has more power outages than any other developed country. Solar lights are perfect for emergencies because the solar light can sit in a drawer for over 2 years and will still work. The battery only depreciates 2% per month. Just remember to charge it in the sun once a year if you put it in the closet or drawer or your emergency kit. Or better yet, just keep on your window sill and use it at night then when the storm hits and the power goes out. Your handy solar light is all ready to brighten your night.
Estimates on just how bad the problem is vary, though. According to an analysis by Climate Central, major outages (affecting more than 50,000 homes or businesses) grew ten times more common from the mid-1980s to 2012. From 2003 to 2012, weather-related outages doubled. In a 2017 report, the American Society of Civil Engineers reported that there were 3,571 total outages in 2015, lasting 49 minutes on average. The U.S. Energy Administration reports that in 2016, the average utility customer had 1.3 power interruptions, and their total blackout time averaged four hours.
So, the next time a friend or family member asks you, “Are Solar Lights Worth It?” you now have the facts!
