Here Are 4 Things You Ought to Know About Solar Christmas Lights

Solar Christmas lights promise grid-free festive lighting.

Should you switch? Here are four things about solar Christmas lights to help you decide.

#1 Solar Lights Set Up Easy

A string of solar Christmas lights uses a small solar panel for power; there are no extension cords that must be plugged into outlets.

The panel -- about the size of a hockey puck -- powers rechargeable batteries that illuminate a 25- to 100-bulb string of LED lights.

Panels come with small stakes so you can put them in the ground, where they can take advantage of the sun.

#2 They Cost About the Same as LED Lights

Pricing for solar-powered and plug-in LED holiday lights runs neck and neck. A string of 100 miniature lights costs about $10 and up for both solar and LED. Yet solar costs nothing to operate.

#3 They're Durable

They don't have any filaments that burn out easily, and they're made of plastic, which doesn't break as easil as glass.

#4 But They May Not Be as Bright as You'd Like

A fully-charged string of lights should glow for a few hours after the sun goes down. But if you don't get much sun, and with the shorter days, you could see only an hour or so.