Thinking about switching to wireless and solar outdoor lights for your backyard? If you’re sick of hefty utility bills and annoying power outages, you’ll be happy to know that there are some creative ways to bring light to your lawn without needing electricity.
Here are 17 cool ways to light your backyard without electricity:
- Tiki torches
- LED or wax candles
- Fire pit
- Glass tube patio heater
- Solar powered garden lights
- Solar powered string lights
- Solar-powered path lights
- Brick lights
- Battery powered accent lights
- Solar powered flood light
- Color changing tiki torches
- Inflatable pool lights
- Battery powered chandelier
- Solar powered curtain lights
- Battery-powered projector lights
- Glow in the dark paint
- Reusable glow sticks
In this article, I’ll highlight outdoor lighting ideas for the backyard. I’ll also share a few actionable tips on how to turn your backyard into a colorful oasis.
1. Tiki Torches
Consider lighting up your home’s exterior with some stick-mounted tiki torches!
Tiki torches burn real fuel (paraffin, ethanol-based) from a decorated fuel reserve mounted on the same stick. At the top lies a wick that soaks up and burns the fuel into a bright, luminous yellow flame. Feel free to add an appropriate-sized lantern to make the torch more visually appealing.
2. LED or Wax Candles
Wax candles are another great way to illuminate your outdoor space. Place thick candles around your backyard and give it a beautiful warm glow. Just keep the open flame far from a dry pot plant where it could catch fire.
If the good old wax candle doesn’t cut it, you can always switch to LED candles that don’t require a flame. The batteries typically last for about 48 hours of runtime, long enough to light up your backyard without power.
3. Fire Pit
A firepit with a real, open flame does sound a little bit dangerous. But it can light up your backyard in ways you never knew. All you need is a beautifully designed pit and, of course, properly dried firewood.
Fire pits light outdoor spaces and provides warmth on cold nights. Remember, you’ll want to limit the fuel to avoid unmanageable flames.
4. Glass Tube Patio Heater
A glass tube patio heater may remind you of a Starwars lightsaber. The long glass tube shoots a real flame through its length, giving off a stunning streak of bright yellow light to add to your yard.
Glass tube patio heaters can also emit some warmth on chilly evenings. Just use a standard propane tank (which lasts 8-10 hours) and try not to put your glass tube in a windy path.
5. Solar Powered Garden Lights
Short orbs lit in cool white/yellow light bring out the true beauty of your outdoor space when darkness kicks in. The truth is, you can never go wrong with outdoor solar lights for your backyard. And since these solar lights don’t depend on home electricity, no need to worry about the power bill.
You can plant solar garden lights around the backyard for the best look. Plant each light about 6-8 ft. (1.82-2.43 m) into the ground. If your backyard features a live garden with a garden path cutting right across it, consider putting up white lights on each side.
6. Solar Powered String Lights
Solar-powered string lights are a creative hanging light idea for your backyard. Do you have a tree in your backyard? Wind them across the branches or along the patio.
Unfortunately, solar-powered string lights without a plug aren’t so good with power management. There are just too many string lights on the line. However, if you get solar-powered strings with a long-life battery, you should still be able to get considerable use out of them.
7. Solar Powered Path Lights
If you have a pathway cutting across the backyard, consider getting some sensor-enabled solar pathway lights. These little lights not only light up the way into and out of your house but also add a fantastic touch to your home’s exterior.
Don’t give in to the urge of placing your solar-powered path lights every two inches. Instead, place them 5-10 feet (1.52-3 meters) apart. This brings a contrast between the lit and darker spots on the way.
I have path lights along my side yard in the raised garden bed, they look beautiful and add much-needed brightness to that area of my yard!
8. Brick Lights
Brick lights can literally fit within the crevices of brick walls. They’re great for pathways, driveways, staircases, and of course, your backyard. Brick lights come in different shapes and sizes to accommodate all types of brick walls.
Mount your brick lights on the wall facing your backyard, or along a pathway for the best results. Solar-powered brick lights also include a battery for prolonged use.
9. Battery-Powered Accent Lights
Accent lights shine directly on an object, and the reflection can be used to light up the surrounding environment. These lights tap into high battery power capacity to bring your backyard to life at night.
Point your light against the wall for the best result. Dimmable LED accent lights offer more control, although their brightness might not light up the entire yard. However, accent lights are enough to set the mood for a quiet, peaceful evening at home.
10. Solar Powered Flood Light
You can find a good solar-powered, power-efficient flood light that also works as a security light, since it shines directly into your backyard.
Flood lights are great for some extra security due to their wide light dispersion with powerful, bright LED lights. Some flood lights also come with a motion sensor to enhance security. Others feature a Dusk-to-Dawn LED that requires no manual switches.
If you love DIY outdoor lighting without electricity, you can install yours on the nearest wall facing the yard. Unlike in a spotlight, the wide dispersion ensures that nothing goes past your backyard without being seen.
11. Color Changing Tiki Torches
Color-changing tiki torches bring along a special vibrancy for your backyard. Unlike the ordinary tiki torches, the color-changing type comes with different shades of red, green, blue, and yellow flames from burning, smokeless fuel.
You can also go for LED candles that require no batteries. This offers even more distinct shades of red, green, and blue smokeless LED lights.
12. Inflatable Pool Lights
Set the mood for a perfect summer pool party with inflatable pool lights. Inflatable pool lights come in various shapes, sizes, and designs from cubes, to noodles, and balls.
Sure, the light won’t be powerful enough to hit all corners of your backyard. But from a decorative point of view, they could make a creative addition to your backyard oasis.
Related: Pool Float Storage Ideas
13. Battery-Powered Chandelier
Did you know that you can use battery-powered chandeliers to light up your outdoors? The traditional chandelier design adds some magic to your home’s exterior decor and lighting.
There’s really no place for a chandelier on the ground. Whether you’re using yours as a door light or porch light, it has to be suspended for a stunning view. If you have an overhang or a gazebo in the backyard, install your battery-powered chandelier and enjoy a stylish appeal to your property. Some battery-powered chandeliers also come with remote control for seamless operation.
14. Solar Powered Curtain Lights
Create the perfect start for a late-night party with solar-powered curtain lights and fairy lights. The beautiful strings of LED lights bring life to your backyard throughout the night.
Solar-powered curtain lights resemble holiday lights. You can get yours in different modes depending on the occasion. The lights also come in flashing modes, slow fades, and twinkle lights.
15. Battery-Powered Projector Lights
Although most projector lights are geared towards Christmas lighting, they can be enjoyed year-round. With a broad mix of colors to choose from, battery-powered projector lights can take your backyard lighting to the next level.
Depending on the design, you can make yours a porch light or mount it on the wall facing your backyard. Most projector lights will be brighter than traditional string lights, so you’ll be able to illuminate bigger spaces.
16. Glow in the Dark Paint
Glow-in-the-dark paint lights outdoor spaces just as it lights up the indoors. This fun option significantly cuts down the power costs and, at the same time, offers a lasting solution that’s not prone to weather damage.
Tip: For the best glow, I’d recommend holding these under a bright light source, or UV light for a minimum of 5 minutes. You can also use a UV flashlight to re-light these once they’ve been painted on and the glow fades.
Glow in the dark paint allows you to be creative when lighting up your backyard. You can smear some on the trees around your lawn or on the patio. My kids love coloring the backyard with these during the holidays! It easily washes off the concrete, as well as the kids!
17. Reusable Glow Sticks
Reusable glow sticks can be used as backyard lighting, provided that they’re placed in strategic points across the lawn. They’re easy to relocate, so you can illuminate different areas.
There are several kinds of reusable glow sticks. However, I strongly recommend using the LED rechargeable type and not the chemical ones. They’re also quite powerful and produce enough bright light to add some fun color to your backyard.
Conclusion
I’m sure there are quite a few more creative ways to light up your backyard, but I had a ton of fun browsing and looking at ideas and photos!
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