A setup like this looks fantastic but requires a lot of electricity! Image source: WJCT
The pressure to have the neighborhood’s best holiday light display is real. But what’s even more daunting is the holiday season electric bill you’re left with after setting up all of those Christmas string lights.
Solar-powered Christmas lights are the perfect way to ensure you have the best holiday decorations on the block without causing your electric bill to skyrocket.
We’ve compiled a list of the five best solar Christmas lights to brighten up your holiday season - without breaking the bank.
*Editorial note: This is an unbiased review: we have no financial ties with any of the companies mentioned, nor do we earn money from affiliate advertising. The content of this blog is based on research and information available at the time of writing.
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1. Classic solar Christmas lights
Best: Overall
Price: $38.99 Buy Now
Joomer’s solar Christmas lights are our top pick for the best solar Christmas lights available in 2022. They have excellent customer review scores, and each strand comes with 200 lights. They have excellent customer review scores and come in multiple colors, so they’ll be sure to meet your style. Each pack has two strands, each with 200 LED lights and two IP65 waterproof solar panels.
Joomer’s high-quality multi-colored solar-powered lights look just like classic string lights but won’t run up your meter. Image source: Amazon
Joomer’s solar lights also have eight operating modes, like “Twinkle” or “In Wave” to achieve your desired aesthetic.
2. Solar-powered icicle lights
Best: Solar-powered icicle lights
Price: $19.99 Buy Now
While normal icicles melt in the sun, these icicle lights are powered by it! There are a few solar-powered icicle lights on the market, but Vmanoo’s tube icicle lights have 4.1 stars with almost 2,000 reviews on Amazon; they look great and come at a fair price point.
VMANOO LED solar icicle tube lights turn an ordinary pathway into a winter wonderland. Image source: Amazon
Another great thing about these icicle lights is that they come in many different colors: blue, white, warm white, multicolor, green, purple, and red. The lights give an illusion of a “dripping” icicle to really complete your winter light display.
They even come in red, white, and blue so you can use these solar-powered lights throughout the year - not just on Christmas!
One strand of Vmanoo Tube Lights spans a length of 23.6 feet, with 8 tubes on each. When charged for 6 to 8 hours, the lights will remain on continuously for 8 to 12 hours. They also come with a 12-month warranty.
3. Statement solar-powered light
Best: Solar-powered statement light
Price: $20.99 Buy Now
If you’re trying to spice up your holiday light display, consider Huacenmy’s Solar Strawberry String Lights. These lights have a unique look that gives off the signature vintage incandescent bulb vibe - but with a solar twist.
The Huacenmy Solar Strawberry String Lights will ensure you have the most festive house on the block. Image source: Amazon
You can choose between strands with 50 or 100 lights, and you have a choice of either 2-inch or 2.5-inch bulbs. Each strand includes one solar panel that should be placed in direct sunlight. If the panel gets enough sun, these lights can stay on for up to 8 hours!
The biggest downside to these strawberry lights is that they only come in multicolor. However, if you’re going for the vintage look that’s probably what you would go for anyway!
4. Solar-powered fairy lights
Best: Solar-powered string lights
Price: $19.99 Buy Now
Fairy string lights have recently become a popular choice for modern aesthetically pleasing outdoor lighting.
Brighttown offers a solar-powered version of these popular lights, and they come with excellent Amazon reviews. The sheer number of positive reviews sets them ahead of other solar-powered fairy lights available.
Brighttown’s solar-powered fairy string lights are great for the holidays but also add beautiful lighting to your outdoor space year-round. Image source: Amazon
They come in a variety of colors: warm white, blue, green, multicolor, pink, pure white, and purple. Each string is made of 33 feet of copper wire with 100 LED lights.
Brighttown’s solar fairy lights are perfect for a subtle Christmastime display and are popular for decorating small spaces like apartment balconies.
5. Solar-powered candy cane lights
Best: Solar-powered lawn decoration
Price: $39.99 (for 12) Buy Now
These solar-powered candy cane lights are a beautiful and clean way to spruce up your holiday display!
To really take your holiday decorating up a notch - consider putting up solar-powered candy cane lights! ZATAYE offers easy-to-install candy cane lights that run entirely on the sun. What’s great about these candy cane lights is that they come with a backup plan in case you have a cloudy day. Simply plug in the included USB charging cable, and you’ll make sure your candy cane pathway is lit up for Santa!
How do solar Christmas lights work?
Solar Christmas lights work almost exactly like traditional Christmas lights, just with no extension cords and no fossil fuel emissions.
Instead of being plugged into an outlet, solar string lights are powered entirely by solar power. Solar-powered Christmas lights will include a small solar panel and a rechargeable battery. During the day, the panel collects solar energy which charges the battery. At night, the lights use the energy stored within the battery to shine.
Many solar Christmas lights include a sensor that automatically turns on the lights when the sun sets. Others, however, need to be manually turned on via a switch located near the battery. You may have solar-powered pathway lights that work the same way!
Pros and cons of solar Christmas lights
Solar Christmas lights have many advantages over traditional holiday decorative lights. But, like anything else, they come with their drawbacks, too.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Electric bill savings | High upfront cost |
| No outlets required | Reliant on sunlight |
| No cords | |
| Eco-friendly |
Advantages of solar Christmas lights
Electric bill savings
The most significant advantage of using solar-powered holiday lights is that they won’t run up your electric bill.
Because these lights don’t plug into your home, they aren’t using any electricity from your utility company. This means you can enjoy a brilliant light display without a not-so-brilliant electric bill.
No outlets required
Aside from saving you money on electricity, solar lights are powered entirely by the sun, so there is no need for outlets.
This gives you more freedom to arrange your lights exactly the way you want without being limited by where your outlets are.
No fussing with cords
No need to untangle the extension cords this year! Solar-powered Christmas lights are excellent for decorating everything from your front porch, to your fence, to turning the spruce in your front yard into a perfectly lit Christmas tree.
Simply hang up the lights, place the panels in the sun, and your work is done.
No cords means that solar Christmas lights are much safer, too. They’re less of a fire hazard because you can’t string solar lights together. While this may seem like a downside, you don’t need to string the lights together because you don’t have to worry about reaching an outlet.
You also won’t have to worry about the danger of overloading extension cords.
Eco-friendly
No one wants coal for Christmas, so why would you use it to power your holiday display? Unlike traditional Christmas lights, solar lights run on 100% clean energy.
You can rest easy knowing your festive holiday decorations are powered by solar instead of dirty fossil fuels.
Disadvantages of solar Christmas lights
High upfront cost
While solar Christmas lights will save you money on your electricity bills, you will have to pay a higher price for them upfront.
You have to think of solar Christmas lights as an investment. While you might spend more now, you can save more later.
Dependent on sunlight
The biggest downside to outdoor solar Christmas lights is that they require sunlight to operate. If you have a cloudy day, you risk not having any lights on that night.
Because of this, some people use solar Christmas lights as supplemental lights in their bushes or on trees, and use conventional Christmas lights to light up the main parts of their home. This lets them cut down on their electricity bill and carbon footprint without sacrificing their entire light display because of one cloudy day.
Solar Christmas lights are sure to brighten your holiday
Solar Christmas lights allow you to decorate your home for the holidays without having to worry about spending extra money on your electric bill. Instead, you can put that extra money towards making sure your loved ones receive everything on their wish list.
If you’re still having trouble finding the perfect gifts, check out our solar gift guide! It covers solar-powered gadgets that are cool, useful, and powered by clean energy.
You don’t have to limit your solar savings to the holiday season. You can save on your electric bill all year long when you install a solar panel system on your home. Check out our solar panel calculator to see how much solar could save you!
Key takeaways
- Solar Christmas lights are a great way to be festive this holiday season without racking up your utility bills.
- Solar Christmas lights are powered by a battery that is charged entirely by a mini solar panel.
- Solar-powered Christmas lights make installing a holiday display easy because you don’t have to worry about extension cords or outlets.
- While solar Christmas lights do cost more than traditional string lights, they don’t use electricity from your utility, and thus don’t increase your power bill.
- The biggest drawback of solar Christmas lights is that if you have a cloudy day, the lights won’t turn on at night. They need full sunlight to charge their battery and turn on.
Catherine Lane
Written Content Manager
Catherine is the Written Content Manager at SolarReviews. She has been researching and writing about the residential solar industry for four years. Her work has appeared in Solar Today Magazine and Solar Builder Magazine, and has been cited by publications like Forbes and Bloomberg.