Light Up the Night
Along with lighting, there are other elements involved in designing a home's outdoor space, including the landscaping.
For desert dwellers, it is especially important to know what plants will thrive outdoors around their homes. SunStick is a single-use light meter that helps gardeners measure their outdoor light, water and soil conditions to give information on what plants can grow in a specific area.
"With so many beautiful plants out there, choosing the right varieties for your available sunlight is crucial," said Kerry VerMeulen, who developed the SunStick along with Cynthia VanRenterghem.
Resembling a red daisy, SunStick reacts to sunlight -- just like a real flower. After a day outside, it is removed and compared to a color chart, giving users accurate readings of their light conditions.
The two Grand Rapids, Mich., women are avid gardeners. They met when they were young mothers, and discovered mutual interests: both have a set of twins and both love gardening.
"Children and gardens have a lot in common," VanRenterghem said. "You learn as you go along."
They had both realized years ago that the basics of gardening can never be overlooked. "How often does a home gardener really take a soil sample for analysis? "Or take the time to analyze the hours of sun an area receives?" VerMeulen asked.
"I guess that developing SunStick was my way of 'fixing' my mistakes and helping others not repeat them." VanRenterghem said.
The product is on sale online and there are plans to distribute it through retail outlets in the future.
Fountains and birdbaths also can be incorporated into an outdoor living space's design. And they too can be powered by the sun.
Along with the savings in utilities, another advantage of solar-powered garden accents is that electrical wiring and plugs are not required and they can be placed almost anywhere.
If the solar panel is separate from the fountain, then the fountain may be placed in any location as long as the panel remains in the sun. If the solar panel is integrated into the fountain, then it must be placed in the sun and the panel must be positioned to receive the most sunlight throughout the day.
Because they are different from standard fountains, there are some things homeowners must consider. For example, solar-powered fountains will likely provide different intensities of water movement throughout the day, depending on the strength of the sun's rays, and in order for the fountain to run at night, a battery might still be required.
Among the retailers offering solar-powered fountains and birdbaths are Sam's Club, which has models with a miniature water pump and choice of fountain heads, and Lamps Plus, which features them online and by special order.
-- By Debbie Hall
Two trends have emerged this year. One is creating outdoor space that blends seamlessly with indoor space for use as an integral part of the home. The second is going green, using alternative, renewable energy sources such as the sun to replace fossil fuels in generating electricity.
Now, by incorporating solar-powered lighting into their home designs, homeowners can combine the two trends, extending the use of their outdoor spaces well beyond daylight hours and increasing safety by illuminating potential hazards.
While many manufacturers and businesses have been developing and distributing solar-powered products since the 1990s, consumer acceptance and purchase has increased dramatically only recently, according to Ed Bender, president of the New Hampshire-based Sundance Solar, which was created in 1995 to develop products using both rechargeable batteries and solar-powered cells.
"In the past, consumers thought solar-powered products had a poor performance with little reliability," Bender said. "But now, we are creating products using solar-powered cells for cell phones, iPods and other electronic devices as well as lighting. These products have gained enormous popularity for their convenience, especially when traveling, lower costs in purchasing these alternatives and shelf-life."
Using solar-powered products just makes sense. On a bright sunny day, the sun covers the Earth in approximately 1,000 watts of solar energy per square meter of the planet's surface. With solar panels to absorb this energy and new technology, it can be converted to electricity for a variety of uses.
One of Sundance Solar's products is a solar LED rock light, a realistic-looking rock that was created to serve as an accent light for gardens, walkways or flowerbeds. A solar panel charges the rechargeable batteries during the day and the light automatically comes on at night. No wiring or assembly is needed and the company will back the product for years.
Although in business since 1996, Solar Cynergy began developing and manufacturing products using solar energy two years ago, working with architects and high-end designers.
"In the past there was a stigma attached to solar-power lighting. They would break down and many designers and architects were averse to using them," said John Huang, director of product management.
He said a change in attitude was clearly evident last year, when the Norco, Calif.-based company participated in Lightfair International, an annual lighting industry event for architectural and commercial lighting products and services.
"There was change in the perception of solar-powered lighting. Architects and designers now see that it is modern, functional and aesthetically pleasing," Huang said. "All units are self-contained, the photo cells during the day catch the sun and there are battery back-ups. The best part is that there is no monthly bill for outdoor lighting."
Also devoted to working with solar-powered lighting is Royce Lighting. In 2008, the New York-based company launched a new line of portable outdoor LED solar lighting made of 95 percent recycled materials and distributed in recycled packaging. The solar-powered post lanterns were designed to be placed around decks, patios, pools, walkways and sunrooms and are also weather-resistant. Royce Lighting also creates wall-mounted solar lanterns as well. All come with rechargeable batteries and on/off switches.
"We know a family's home is the most important place in their lives, so we always keep that in mind when we are developing new designs," said Harold Wolfson, president of Royce Lighting. "The outdoor patio, porch or deck has become an additional room in many homes. It's time to bring indoor lighting designs outdoors.
"Outdoor lighting has taken on a new persona with people spending more time at home, and now, more than ever, our audience is making an effort to be more environmentally conscientious and green so we responded."
In 2007, Royce Lighting won the Lighting for Tomorrow Yearbook Award from the American Lighting Association for two Energy Star collections: the Prescott and Outdoor Convertible Lantern collections.
The companies' solar lights can be obtained at several local sources, such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Target and Sears. Lamps Plus, a national chain with three retail outlets in Southern Nevada, offers a variety of LED solar products including motion sensor lights, as well as path, wall and post LED solar-powered lights online. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas retail stores do not carry any solar-powered items in stock but they can be purchased by special order.
Solar Illuminations, which distributes products online through a virtual showroom, also offers Christmas tree lights, party light strings, house address lights and flag lights.
Linen 'n Things, with two retail outlets in Las Vegas, is due to go out of business by the end of the year but is currently offering solar-powered LED rainbow and white lights for the holidays both in the stores and online at a 30 percent discount. These holiday lights are designed to turn on at dusk and off when the sun rises. Lights will run six to eight hours on one day's charge in direct sunlight.
Landscape elements rely on sun's rays Along with lighting, there are other elements involved in designing a home's outdoor space, including the landscaping. For desert dwellers, it is especially important to know what plants will thrive outdoors around their homes. SunStick is a single-use light meter that helps gardeners measure their outdoor light, water and soil conditions to give information on what plants can grow in a specific area. "With so many beautiful plants out there, choosing the right varieties for your available sunlight is crucial," said Kerry VerMeulen, who developed the SunStick along with Cynthia VanRenterghem. Resembling a red daisy, SunStick reacts to sunlight -- just like a real flower. After a day outside, it is removed and compared to a color chart, giving users accurate readings of their light conditions. The two Grand Rapids, Mich., women are avid gardeners. They met when they were young mothers, and discovered mutual interests: both have a set of twins and both love gardening. "Children and gardens have a lot in common," VanRenterghem said, "you learn as you go along." They had both realized years ago that the basics of gardening can never be overlooked. "How often does a home gardener really take a soil sample for analysis? "Or take the time to analyze the hours of sun an area receives?" VerMeulen asked. "I guess that developing SunStick was my way of 'fixing' my mistakes and helping others not repeat them." VanRenterghem said. The product is on sale online and there are plans to distribute it through retail outlets in the future. Fountains and birdbaths also can be incorporated into an outdoor living space's design. And they too can be powered by the sun. Along with the savings in utilities, another advantage of solar-powered garden accents is that electrical wiring and plugs are not required and they can be placed almost anywhere. If the solar panel is separate from the fountain, then the fountain may be placed in any location as long as the panel remains in the sun. If the solar panel is integrated into the fountain, then it must be placed in the sun and the panel must be positioned to receive the most sunlight throughout the day. Because they are different from standard fountains, there are some things homeowners must consider. For example, solar-powered fountains will likely provide different intensities of water movement throughout the day, depending on the strength of the sun's rays, and in order for the fountain to run at night, a battery might still be required. Among the retailers offering solar-powered fountains and birdbaths are Sam's Club, which has models with a miniature water pump and choice of fountain heads, and Lamps Plus, which features them online and by special order.
