Solar lighting

As many of you know, my wonderful husband is a vegetarian, hippy, save-the-world type. I have no problem with that, and find it very admirable that he will deny himself something he enjoys if he thinks that's the right thing to do. However, I have very poor night vision, and this leads to many battles between us. He can't understand why I would want the light on in the hallway, for instance, if we are not in the hallway at that very moment. And I can't understand why I should have to walk into a pitch-black room, fumbling for the light switch, if I have the option to just leave the light on whenever there's a good chance I will be needing it.

Anyway, we have found one solution which will help us avoid the "turn the porch light off/but I can't seeeee!" argument that has become way too familiar. Solar lights have come a long way in recent years, and with the advent of LED bulbs it is actually possible to have a solar light that does more than provide an ambient glow.

For $35 I purchased a solar light with 10 LED bulbs in it, which is powered by rechargeable batteries and a separate solar panel. With five feet of cable between the panel and the light, there is quite a bit of flexibility with how it can be positioned. Right now, we have the panel on the conservatory roof, and the light itself just above the front door.  It is actually brighter than the photograph shows, but my camera tripod is somewhere in the garage so I was unable to take a better quality picture.  It is certainly bright enough for me to be able to find the door, find the keyhole, and even read a book if I wanted to.  And best of all, it doesn't cost anything to run, and Skry cannot object to my leaving it switched on whenever I like.

I also purchased an attractive solar-powered lantern, which is more for decoration than for providing light. It has a lovely flicker like a real candle, and looks very pretty hanging from its hook in the flower bed, or perched on the garden table.

I'm going to be investigating more options for solar lighting around our house. The lamp in the doorway is bright, but it does not come on automatically at dusk - it is either on or off. So I would like to buy one in a similar style but with an "auto" option, or even a motion detector.  I know such things exist - I just need to find them here in Christchurch or available by post.