Solar vs. Wired Landscape Lighting for Historic Homes

By Jack Dack | January 7, 2026

You bought solar pathway lights last spring.

They looked great at the garden center. Easy installation—no electrician, no trenching. Just push them into the ground and you’re done.

Fast forward to dusk. You’re walking up to your front door in near-darkness. Half the lights are barely glowing. The others gave up an hour ago.

This isn’t what you pictured when you imagined your beautifully restored home at night. Instead of highlighting the architecture and welcoming you home, the pathway feels like an afterthought.

We hear this frustration all the time. Most homeowners choose solar for the same reason. It sounds up front like a responsible, efficient choice.

At Old California, one of the most common questions we’re asked is why we don’t offer solar landscape lighting. The honest answer is simple:

Solar lighting is convenient up front. Wired lighting is built for the long haul—so are we.

Below, we’ll walk through how each system works, the real pros and cons (not just the marketing promises), and which option actually makes sense for historic homes. Because when you’ve invested time, money and care into your home, the lighting isn’t just functional. It’s part of the overall experience.

Solar pathway lights rely on four basic components: a small solar panel, a rechargeable battery, an LED bulb, and a light sensor.

During the day, the panel converts sunlight into electricity and charges the battery. At dusk, the sensor turns the light on and the battery powers the LED until it runs out.

Simple? Yes. Reliable? Not always.

Advantages of Solar Lighting

• No electrical wiring or electrician required
• Easy for homeowners to install and relocate
• No increase to your monthly electric bill
• Useful in locations where running electrical lines is physically impossible
• Lower upfront cost than wired systems

Tradeoffs to Understand Up Front

This is where expectations often break down. It’s not that solar lights are poorly designed, it’s that they’re sold as a permanent solution when they’re not.

• Performance depends entirely on daily sunlight exposure
• Battery size determines how long lights stay on each night
• Shade, cloudy weather, and winter’s shorter days reduce charging
• Typical light output ranges from 1–30 lumens per fixture, some places will market higher but the brighter output is often for a limited time
• Solar panels and battery compartments are visible on the fixture
• Most fixtures are plastic, and between materials and electronics, lifespan is usually 3–5 years

Maintenance Reality

Solar lighting is often sold as “maintenance free,” but that’s misleading.

• Solar panels need monthly cleaning to maintain performance
• Fixtures typically need full replacement every 3–5 years as batteries and electronics degrade

Low-voltage systems use a transformer to step household 120V electricity down to 12V. The transformer plugs into a standard outdoor outlet, and direct-burial wire runs from the transformer to each fixture.

The reduced voltage makes the system safer to work with and suitable for DIY installation in many cases.

Advantages of Low-Voltage Lighting

• Consistent illumination regardless of weather or season
• Even illumination from fixture to fixture
• Typical output ranges from 100–400+ lumens per fixture
• Predictable operation using timers or photocells
• Wiring does not require conduit or burial (we do recommend you conceal it, though)
• Fixtures can last decades when made from durable materials
• Minimal electricity usage (most homeowners see no noticeable bill increase)

Tradeoffs to Consider

• Higher upfront investment than solar
• Requires access to an outdoor electrical outlet
• Transformers must be located within wire-run distance (usually 100–150 feet)
• Professional installation costs more than a solar DIY setup
• Moving fixtures later may require rewiring

Maintenance Requirements

• Replace LED bulbs as needed (somewhere between 5-15 years depending on usage and weather exposure)
• Occasional cleaning of fixtures

* Estimates based on typical residential use with durably constructed fixtures, replaceable LED bulbs, and one transformer replacement over a 30-year period. Fixture pricing ranges from imported aluminum to American-made solid brass. If you want a complete breakdown of the factors that affect the cost of your fixtures read our article Historic Home Lighting Cost: A Look at What You'll Pay.

Wired systems often cost more—there’s no avoiding that. But once installed, they don’t fall into a recurring replacement cycle. Aside from occasional bulb changes, the system simply works, year after year.

Shop Garden & Pathway Lighting

There’s no universally ‘right’ choice, only what fits how you live and what your priorities are for your home.

Solar Lighting Can Make Sense If:

• You’re renting and can’t modify electrical systems
• Lighting is temporary (staging, events, testing placement)
• Running electrical lines is physically impossible
• Upfront budget is limited and replacement costs don’t bother you
• Aesthetic compromises aren’t your concern

12V Low-Voltage Lighting Is a Better Fit If:

• You own your home and want a permanent solution
• You want consistent illumination year-round
• You have access to an outdoor outlet within 100–150 feet
• You can install yourself or budget for professional installation
• Period authenticity matters
• You prefer to invest once rather than replace repeatedly

For permanent lighting on historic homes, solar is rarely the right answer, and after decades of working with homeowners we’ve seen why.

The aesthetic conflict alone makes us say, “no.” Visible solar panels and plastic housings next to historic architectural details feels like wearing running shoes with a three-piece suit.

Performance issues only compound the problem. Cloudy days mean dim pathways. Winter, when shorter days mean lighting matters most, delivers the weakest results. And that “maintenance-free” promise often turns into a predictable replacement cycle.

Low-voltage wired systems deliver what your home deserves: consistent, weather-independent illumination using fixtures crafted from solid brass in period-appropriate designs. This is lighting you install once.

Yes, the investment is higher. But when you’ve already committed to restoring and preserving a historic home, lighting shouldn’t be the place you cut corners.

Stop replacing cheap fixtures every few years.

At Old California, we’ve been handcrafting historic lighting since 1989. We work in solid brass in our Southern California factory, designing fixtures that respect your home’s architectural period and hold up for decades—not seasons. Every fixture is backed by a lifetime warranty.

When your lighting works every night, you stop thinking about it, and you start enjoying your home the way you intended.

Stop Replacing Cheap Fixtures. Shop Garden & Pathway Lighting

Keep Learning

• Historic Home Lighting Cost: A Look at What You'll Pay
• The Historic Homeowner's Guide to Using LED Bulbs to Light Your Home