The price of traditional vs. solar light installation
The price for a solar street light may initially be a deterrent for interested parties, until you scrutinize the monetary details. The biggest difference between the price of traditional and solar lights lies in the installation fees associated with traditional lighting.
Traditional lights are connected to a standard electrical grid to garner their power, which requires trenching and underground wiring. When adding in labour fees for trenching and wiring, this process would cost consumers about £120 per linear meter. The average cost of installation for traditional lighting would then be around £3000, significantly higher than the price for a solar street light.
Because solar lights are autonomous and off the main grid system, consumers avoid the long and costly process of trenching and wiring. The price of installation reduces significantly as a result, pricing around £1200, driving down the total cost for solar.
Maintenance costs with led lights
Solar lights are most efficient when we pair them together with LED technology to light an area of concern. You may think that solar LED lights require higher maintenance and upkeep levels in comparison to traditional lights. Truth be told, solar lights actually require less maintenance than traditional lighting systems. The typical lifespan for a traditional street light averages around 5,000-8,000 hours, which is slightly less than a year of usage, while solar LED lights last 7 years. The secret is in the technology of LEDs–they’re much more efficient with power than traditional methods of lighting and slowly degrade over time instead of burning out in an instant.
While solar lights get repaired less frequently, the cost of each repair is higher. The battery of a solar light needs to be changed every 7 years. The cost of 2 batteries and labour for those changes averages around £900. This is only slightly higher than the cost of standard lights which is about £700 for standard maintenance fees.
Energy bills (or lack thereof)
Since solar lights gather their energy from the sun, there are no energy costs! Standard lights, on the other hand, based on average costs per light per night of 15p yearly cost of approx £547 so 7 years £3829 in energy costs based on guarantee period for solar lights. 7 years by drawing power from the main power grid, and that’s the energy cost of one street light. A system of ten twenty or hundreds you can see lights will rack up a hefty bill over the course of 7 years. We’re certain whoever is looking to purchase street lights would prefer lower energy costs. Solar wins in this category, hands down.
The verdict between solar and traditional lighting
When comparing the total costs of traditional and solar lighting, there appears to be a clear winner. Overall, solar street lights cost around £3200 over 7 years, while standard costs a steep £7329 because of trenching and installation costs. As before, this is the cost of one street light. Imagine 10 lights? 20? Suddenly, the savings with solar are clear.
In the battle of the lighting systems, technology and innovation win. While traditional lighting systems may have won some battles, solar lights win the war for street light costs. It’s the combination of high-tech solar panels with energy-saving LED lights that propel these street lights far ahead of the competition.
