10 Unique low-power lighting options for festivals

Diwali is the festival of lights and people from all castes and faiths are seen celebrating it with great joy. Preparations are done well in advance and you see people flocking markets buying gifts, sweets and decorations for their house. Speaking of decorations, you will usually find houses lit up with candles, diyas, string bulbs and a lot more. However, most of the lighting accessories available are very much the same and you will not find much difference between two decorated houses, except for the arrangement and the colour of the lights. Most of these lights are not eco-friendly and tend to silently eat into your electricity bills, but the spirit of the festival blinds you towards such additional expenses and this fact is usually ignored. Lighting up your house with eco-friendly and low-powered lights is recommended as they not only cut down on your power bills, but will also light up efficiently and with a pleasant glow. Morever, it will also be less taxing on the environment. Lighting options currently available in the market consist of regular filament-based bulbs and LEDs. These are usually imported from China and are definitely cheaper as they last you a few years. With Diwali around the corner, and Christmas and New Year following soon, why not be different this season and get yourself some lights that are cheap and completely different, and pique the interest of others. Here are some options.

Solar-powered string lights – Approx Rs. 2,000

Solar-powered string lights

These are 200-LED based light strings that are available in white and blue colours and do not require electricity. These are solar-powered lights that juice up the internal batteries during the day and will automatically light up for 6-8 hours at night. Great for decorating outdoors, yards, gardens and trees. You also get 30-LED based solar light strings for around Rs. 1,200. Solar-powered miniature lanterns are also available with 10 coloured lanterns on it and cost around Rs. 660.

Multi-coloured LED optical lights – Approx Rs. 420

Miniature optical lights

This is a 4-pack multi-coloured optical fibre-based battery-powered lighting accessory that can be kept on windows, doorways, inside vehicles and even hung around the house. The LED inside changes colour automatically and is powered by three button cells each. 

Laser projector – Approx Rs. 2,400

Laser projector

Light up your house from inside or from the outside using fine dots of multi-coloured lasers that randomly move around making different patterns of light. They look like stars and beautify the entire area. This one is even sound activated, so if you are playing some music in the background, the light effects are stunning as they move along with the beats in the background music. You can even use this projector while hosting parties at your home. These are available in different variants, with the cheaper variety selling for as little as Rs. 1,000.

LED ice cubes – Approx Rs. 180

LED Ice cubes

This is a unique item for lighting up your guests' drinks. You could even randomly place them around your house as a lighting accessory. The cubes are battery-powered and are available in different colours or even in multi-colour.

Glow sticks – Approx Rs. 800

Glow sticks

These are available in different colours and in dual colour too. Each pack contains 100 sticks and each stick is for one-time-use only. These are not battery-powered, but are thick plastic tubes that are filled with a few chemicals. To activate the light, you simply need to bend it and the stick starts glowing automatically. The sticks can be bent to make shapes or rings and can be placed around the house, garden, hung indoors or even outdoors. The glow of each stick lasts at least 10-15 hours. A pack of 100 can last you at least a few days, depending on how many you use each day.

Water-proof cold lights – Approx Rs. 600

EL glowing wire

This is a unique item and you definitely will not find it easily in India. This light has no LEDs or bulbs, but is made of EL or electroluminescent wires that are filled with a small amount of phosphor (similar to fluorescent tube lights used in homes). The phosphor is placed between two electrodes and lights up completely when electricity runs through it. Each of these lights is powered with two AA batteries (or can be connected to an AC adapter) and has modes for blink, strobe and flash. Each wire is three metres long and can be tied up to almost anything or simply hung from anywhere. The light is cool and completely out of this world and looks as though there is a string lit up. The product is available in multiple colours—blue, white, red, green, violet, pink, yellow and a few more.