15 Solar Christmas Lights You Can Buy Online

It's the most wonderful time of the year… at least your electric company thinks so, since this is the time of the year that most homeowners see their electric utility bills spike as a result of increased electricity usage from winter staples like heat and Christmas lights. But you don't have to spend a fortune in order to keep your home illuminated and your Christmas lights glowing—you just need to invest in solar-powered alternatives.

Solar Christmas lights are an especially economical option because after the initial price you pay when you purchase them, they don't cost a thing. That's because they run off of the sunlight that their solar panel collects each day. If you have a sunny spot in your yard where you can place a solar panel (an area that sees at least six hours of direct sunlight a day is best), you can donate your electric lights and replace them with these greener and more sustainable options. Thanks to advances in technology, solar powered electronics are more affordable than ever. And since they are so readily available, you can find them in almost any design you are looking for. This means your options are only limited by what you can do with your imagination. Shop for dainty fairy lights, traditional looking faceted bulbs, or even shake things up with shapes like stars and icicles.

As with traditional electric lights, you'll want to make sure you aren't hanging hot bulbs where they can catch brush or other debris on fire. Additionally, you never want to use any light strands that have broken or frayed wires. Check your strands regularly to make sure that neither animals nor weather have compromised your light's wiring. Jake McKusker, a ProTip pro and third generation licensed electrician working in the Colorado area says if you ever have questions about solar lights, or can't find what you're looking for, you can ask the experts. "As far as other recommendations, I would encourage the customer to go to their local hardware store and see what they might have to offer."

Ahead, Mark Soto, owner of Roofing Mike, and McKusker share which sets of solar Christmas lights they believe will give you the most twinkle for your buck.

These star-shaped lights will add an extra flare of festivity to your Christmas display. Measuring at 35-feet, there are 50 LED stars on each strand. Choose between blue and white, then decorate to your heart's content.

Shop Now:  Darknessbreak "Blue Star" Fairy Lights, $15.99, amazon.com.

If you need to cover a lot of ground, you'll love these solar string lights. Measuring in at 33-feet, each of these strands of decorative copper wire lights contains 100 LED lights.

Shop Now:  PACJOY Solar String Fairy Lights, $15.99, amazon.com.

Multi-colored, faceted bulbs line each 16.3-foot strand of solar lights. "These solar Christmas lights will remind you of the classical glass bulb, green strand Christmas lights," McKusker says. With 50 bulbs on each strand, this set delivers  a lot of color and dimension. And since these bulbs are on the larger side, you'll get a bigger glow as well.

Shop Now:  Philips Christmas Solar Faceted C6 String Lights, $24.99 for 50, target.com.

Deck out your yard with these solar powered tree silhouettes. These two-foot tall spiral trees come in multi-colored and all white, and they also feature an internal automatic control which, according to McKusker, is a plus. Whatever you do, just remember that these trees are better suited to a spot where you can get an up-close and personal view since they may be too dim to see from a very far distance.

Shop Now:  Merrylite LED Christmas 70 Light Lighted Tree & Branches, $22.99, wayfair.com.

Do you have an area of your yard that gets at least six hours of sunlight each day? Then this strand of 16.4-feet LED strap lights is perfect for you. "This strip light comes with a built in Lithium-Ion battery, so run time of 10 hours during the evening with only six hours of charging should be realistic," explains McKusker. Each strand can also be shortened to meet your exact needs, which makes them perfect for trimming windows and other areas where you don't want any excess hanging down.

Shop Now: LU2000 Solar LED Strap Light, $21.99, amazon.com.

Recreate the magic of a snowstorm with these tube LED straight lights. Available in three different colorways (or in packs of three, if you want to mix it up), these lights will add a touch of winter magic to your home. Just make sure you have an adapter. According to McKusker these come fitted with an EU plug and will need a US adapter.

 Shop Now: Light in The Box Outdoor Meteor Shower Rain LED Tube Lights, $26.39, lightinthebox.com.

Love the traditional look of Christmas lights, but want to update to a more sustainable option? This 100-light package gives you the best of both worlds, with the traditional look of electric lights packed in a green solar powered package. These lights are cool touch, meaning they won't get hot when they run. They also get Soto's vote of approval because if their length.

Shop Now: Home Accents Holiday 100-Light LED Multi-Color Smooth Mini Solar Lights, $19.98, homedepot.com.

Available in both white and multi-colored, these ball bulb lights are an easy, festive way to light up your yard. This strand is 35-feet long and contains 50 bulbs, which means they're a great option for hanging from tree branches if you love a loose, draping effect.

Shop Now: LTD Commodities 50-Bulb Solar String Lights, $9.99, ltdcommodities.com.

These dainty lights, which come in four different colorways including classic white, will run between six to eight hours after a full day's charge. The strands, which contain 100 LED solar powered fairy lights, can be connected to one another, making for endless possibilities as to what you can do. Soto agrees. "The waterproof features makes them convenient to have when placing them inside."

Shop Now:  Morning Star String of 100 LED Solar Powered Fairy Lights, $17.50, hsn.com.

Line your path with a set of solar powered candy canes. Each cane is wrapped in red and white plastic, giving the look of a peppermint candy. There are six candy canes per pack, and each pack comes with its own built in timer to make sure that they run exactly as long as you want them to.

Shop Now: Philips Christmas LED Solar Candy Cane Path Lights in Cool White, $24.99 for six, target.com.

This 39-foot strand of waterproof white outdoor Christmas lights comes with 100 LED bulbs. You can choose between both flashing and static modes to achieve your desired effects. "With the solar panel and rechargeable batteries with a 10-hour runtime, they might not make it clear through the night during the winter months depending on where you live," according to McKusker.

Shop Now: Yescom 100 LEDs Christmas Lights Solar Powered String Light, $12.90, walmart.com.

If you're looking for some accent lighting, McKusker says these lights are an easy choice to bring all the colors of the season to your exterior landscape. "From an electrical standpoint, the USB power option is a neat idea, especially since you can run it from any USB-A port," he says. This 24-foot strand comes with 24 bulbs, a solar panel power source, and 14 color modes to choose from. As an added bonus, you can select and time your lights with a controller.

Shop Now: Jasco "Enbrighten" Solar Light Bundle, $57.99, byjasco.com.

Do you love Christmas lights, but hate stringing them up? The red and green solar laser light can be set up anywhere your yard receives ample sun and will rain down a red and green light show for eight hours at a time. We recommend shining it at the front of your house or up into your trees for the most dramatic effect. Just watch the weather. "If you live anywhere in the northern half of the US this probably will not work on some nights when it reaches below 0 degrees, as it does in many States in the US during the winter months," McKusker advises.

Shop Now: Outdoor Solar Store Red and Green Laser Light, $145, outdoorsolarstore.com.

Measuring at just over 22-feet, these colorful lights are the perfect addition to your holiday landscape. Choose between the mixed color and all-blue options to find the perfect look for your winter décor. "The solar panel is positioned on top of a 15-inch-tall stake," McKusker says. "Depending on your annual snow fall, this should stay above the snow for part, if not most of the season."

Shop Now: Collections etc Color Solar String Lights, $9.99, collectionsetc.com.

Create a blanket of light with this extra long option from Collections, etc. Measuring at more than 60-feet long, each extra long light strand comes with 500 LED lights. Choose from three different colorways: white, blue, and multicolored to create a sea of lights in your yard.

Shop Now: Collections etc Solar Powered Outdoor String Lights, $34.99 for 500, collectionsetc.com.