Choose solar where a fixture gets six or more hours of direct sun and its job is decorative; choose hardwired where the light must perform every night without fail — entrances, steps, driveways. Most considered schemes use both: hardwired at the thresholds people actually use, solar across the garden's wider, softer edges.
Is solar outdoor lighting bright enough to replace hardwired fixtures?
For decorative work, yes. For anything you need to see by, not reliably. A solar fixture runs on what its panel collected that same day, so its output is budgeted to last the night rather than to light a space properly. A mains fixture draws constant power and holds the same brightness in February as in July.
The practical consequence is that solar excels at the jobs where light is atmosphere — a glow on a gatepost, a line of cubes marking the edge of a terrace, uplight grazing a specimen tree. It struggles at the jobs where light is information: where the step is, where the gate is, where the car should stop.
How many hours of direct sun does a solar light actually need?
Six hours of unobstructed overhead sun is the working minimum, and the panel needs to face the sun squarely — south-facing in the northern hemisphere, tilted rather than flat where you can choose. Shade for part of the afternoon is survivable. Shade at midday is not.
Walk the garden at noon before you buy anything. The positions that look promising in the evening are often the ones in deepest shadow six hours earlier.
| Position | Typical midday exposure | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Open gate pier, south or west aspect | Full sun | Solar works well |
| Deck post on an unshaded terrace | Full sun | Solar works well |
| Border under mature tree canopy | Dappled, shifting | Separate remote panel, or hardwire |
| North-facing wall or fence line | Indirect only | Hardwire |
| Beneath a porch roof or deep eave | None | Hardwire |
| Front steps and entrance door | Varies | Hardwire regardless |
Which outdoor lights should always be hardwired?
Anything safety-critical, and anything you want to control. Steps and changes in level, the front door, the driveway entry and the garage approach all need light that is identical every night of the year. So does any fixture you intend to put on a house timer, a dimmer or a scene controller — solar units decide their own schedule.
There is a second, quieter argument for mains at the entrance: colour consistency. Hardwired fixtures on the same circuit hold one colour temperature, so a facade reads as a single composition rather than a row of slightly mismatched glows.
What IP rating do I need for outdoor lighting?
IP65 is the sensible default for anything exposed to weather, and IP67 for anything at or below ground level. The two digits describe protection against solids and against water, in that order.
| Rating | Water protection | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| IP44 | Splashing water | Sheltered porches, covered loggias |
| IP54 | Limited spray | Walls under a generous overhang |
| IP65 | Low-pressure jets from any direction | Exposed walls, gate piers, deck posts |
| IP66 | Powerful jets | Coastal and high-exposure sites |
| IP67 | Temporary immersion | Spike and in-ground fittings, bed planting |
| IP68 | Continuous immersion | Pond and pool fittings |
Can one fixture run on both solar and mains power?
Yes, and dual-power fixtures are the most useful answer for most gardens. They let you commission the scheme on solar, then convert the fittings that underperform to mains without changing the look of the entrance.
The Brass Pillar Solar Post Light is metal-bodied and takes either supply, which makes it a reasonable choice for a pier you may later run a cable to. The Traditional Pillar Post Light does the same in black aluminium and glass for a more conventional entrance. For planting and trees, the Solar Spike Spotlight is adjustable on its stake, which matters more than power source when you are aiming light at a canopy.
How do the two compare on installation, running cost and upkeep?
| Solar | Hardwired | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | No cable, no trenching; fix and go | Cable runs, often a qualified electrician |
| Placement freedom | Limited by sun, not by cable | Limited by cable, not by sun |
| Running cost | None | Metered, though LED loads are small |
| Winter performance | Shorter run times on short days | Unchanged |
| Control | Built-in sensor decides | Timers, dimmers, scenes |
| Long-term upkeep | Batteries are a consumable | Driver and lamp only |
How do you combine both in one garden?
Work outwards from the door. Hardwire the first ten metres — entrance, steps, gate, the piers either side of the drive — then let solar take over for the decorative layer beyond it: path and bollard lights along a route, spike lights into garden planting, cubes marking a terrace edge.
Keep colour temperature consistent across both, around 2700K for a warm, residential register. Nothing gives away a piecemeal scheme faster than one cool fitting among warm ones.
Frequently asked questions
Do solar outdoor lights work in winter?
They work, but for fewer hours. Short days and low sun angles mean less charge, so a fixture that runs until midnight in July may fade by mid-evening in December. Keep solar for decorative layers where an early finish costs you nothing, and hardwire the lights you rely on.
Can I convert existing solar lights to mains power?
Only if the fixture was built as dual-power, with a terminal for a mains or low-voltage feed. A solar-only unit cannot usefully be rewired. If conversion is a realistic future step, buy dual-power from the outset — it costs little and keeps the option open.
Is low-voltage the same as hardwired?
Not quite. Low-voltage systems run at 12V from a transformer, which makes cabling shallower and safer to install than 120V mains. They behave like hardwired lighting in every way that matters — constant output, central control — but with a simpler installation.
How long do solar light batteries last?
Rechargeable cells degrade with cycling, so expect to replace them periodically over the life of the fixture. Choose fittings with a user-replaceable battery; a sealed unit becomes disposable the moment the cell fails, which is a poor outcome for a fixture otherwise built to last.
Which is better for a driveway entrance?
Hardwired, or dual-power run on mains. A driveway entrance is the one place in a garden where the light has to be the same every single night, and where an early cut-off is genuinely inconvenient. Solar is better deployed along the drive than at its mouth.
Do I need an electrician?
For 120V mains fixtures and any buried cable, yes — and in many places it is a legal requirement. Low-voltage systems downstream of a plug-in transformer are generally within reach of a competent homeowner. Solar needs nothing but a screwdriver.
Where to start
If you are planning an exterior scheme and want a second opinion on power, placement or fixture size, our lighting help page offers a free sizing answer by email. To see what the dual-power and sun-fed options look like side by side, browse the solar lighting collection.
Last updated: 7 October 2026