Picture this: your family is starting to feel the Christmas spirit and you’ve decided it’s time to start decorating. The inside of the house might soon be full of holly or green garlands, Christmas trees and candles, wreaths, and other holiday decor. The outside of the home will probably need some lights, of course. How long do you think it will take to go outside, set up your ladder safely, and carefully string Christmas lights around the roof? Maybe a couple of hours?
What if, instead, it only took one or two taps on your phone to make those lights start shining right away?
With permanent Christmas lights, you get the awesome look of a decked-out holiday-themed house with absolutely none of the annoyance and possible hazards of setting up the lights and taking them down over and over again. Because permanent lights are designed to always be in place outside, they can withstand year-round weather conditions safely, and are always there when you need them. Most professionally installed Christmas lights are able to be controlled through a simple phone app or smart home devices.
Additionally, many permanent holiday lights are also programmable: you can set them on automatic schedules, change their coloration or patterns, and do almost anything else that helps you use the light display for not just Christmas but any holiday or event all year round.
Can these lights stay on all year?
Since these lights are designed to be permanent, they can be used all year. You probably won’t want (or need) to have them on 24/7, of course, but the great thing about modern decorative lighting systems like these is that they typically use low-power, low-heat LED bulbs. These bulbs and LED strip lights are cheaper and safer than old-school lightbulbs. An LED strip is much more efficient with the energy that it uses, whereas with older lightbulbs, a lot of the energy they use leaks out as incidental heat. LEDs are focused on just providing light with little to no heating of the bulb or anything it’s touching. This obviously makes them a safer choice when it comes to avoiding things like fire hazards. LED Christmas lights also require less energy to produce their light, so their overall cost in both energy and energy bills is very, very low.
With programmable lights, you’ll likely want to take advantage of their scheduling system. Set a time for the lights to turn on and another for them to turn off, and whenever you’re using them, you won’t have to worry about the timing or about leaving them on during the day. But, if you do leave them on during the day, the consequences are likely to be far less severe than with old-school or non-permanent lighting systems.
What type of bulbs is best for permanent lights?
For permanent lighting systems, you’ll almost certainly want to go with LED lights. These kinds of lights are safer and more energy efficient than traditional bulbs and are therefore more suitable for year-round use.
When looking at the shape of the bulb, there are lots of options for holiday lighting, including rope lights, icicle lights, mini lights, and many more. A rope light might be nice for outlinging your home’s best features, for instance, where icicle lights or mini lights can create a beautiful, sparkling effect. Or, of course, you can go with standard Christmas lights for the classic, traditional look.
What are the benefits of having permanent lights that can be programmed?
Ever wanted to make a Halloween light show? You can do that easily with programmable Christmas lights, because they’re not just for Christmas decorations! Most people don’t think of putting up decorative lights during the year when it’s not Christmas time, but when those lights are already there and just waiting to be used, it opens up whole new realms of possibility for your holiday or event decorations. Not crazy about a month of Halloween lights? Just turn them on for a day or two. Want something to help celebrate a birthday or anniversary? Turn the lights to someone’s favorite colors. No Christmas tree required!
Since your permanent Christmas lighting system will already be installed and ready to go, you can use it for literally any occasion that you want without needing to worry about putting the lights up or taking them down afterward.
Is it easy to install programmable lights?
Is installing programmable lights something that can work as a DIY project? Well, there are definitely some types of programmable lights that can be installed as a DIY project, but they usually use simpler control schemes that don’t give you quite as many options. If you’re using string lights, they may also need to be plugged into an inconvenient outlet space. Of course, if you are experienced with electrical work, you can also set up some kinds of programmable lights to wire directly into your home’s power supply, but even with the lower power requirements of LED lights or an LED light strip, this should only be done by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Another difficult factor when installing any kind of Christmas lights can be the simple logistics of the matter. Roofs are often quite tall, and if you don’t have a sturdy ladder or another safe way to get high enough to easily hang lights from where you want them, you might find the process tedious and, more importantly, dangerous.
Is it worth it to have professionals handle the installation of permanent programmable lights?
Is it worth it? That depends on your situation. If you are not confident in your mechanical or electrical ability, having professionals take care of things for you might be helpful. Of course, you may also be worried about your safety while installing the lights, or you may have some kind of physical limitation that makes it difficult or unsafe to climb around on ladders and stringing up lights. In those sorts of cases, professional installation will certainly be worth it to keep yourself and your home safe.
Additionally, professional installation often comes with warranties on parts and labor, meaning that at least the first few years of maintenance will be their responsibility. A professional installation will be helpful if something goes wrong with the system and your warranty is still active.
What kind of maintenance will be required?
For most permanent outdoor lights, the maintenance required will mostly be around replacing individual bulbs that break or otherwise stop working. This maintenance is fairly simple in practice but can be complicated depending on the location of the non-functional lights. For instance, if they’re higher up or in an awkward place, it can be hard to get to them). This is one reason why the parts warranty on a professionally-installed system might be worth it to you.
What is the cost?
So, what can you expect to pay for the installation of this kind of permanent Christmas light system? Like many services, this depends on your needs and situation. LED Christmas lights tend to be fairly cheap, and luckily, they’re more energy efficient as well. Still, the price varies quite a bit, because a larger house can require more work and lights to adequately cover it. Generally, you might expect an average cost between $2000 and $10,000. This means that the total cost will rise the more of your roof and home you want to cover and the more space you have.
How does the programming work? Will it be easy to use?
“Programming” is a word that can sound intimidating for those of us without much background or training in modern computers and technology. Fortunately, the word doesn’t mean anything nearly as complicated as it does in some other contexts when it comes to programmable permanent Christmas lights.
When you program your permanent lights, what you’re doing is telling the Christmas light system things like which lights you want on or off, what time they should be on, what color they should be displaying, and sometimes what patterns you want them to show. With most permanent lighting companies, you can do this easily through a smartphone app! You’ll usually have a simple interface with clear options to guide you through the process of making your lighting system look exactly how you want it. Once the program is set, the lights will run themselves until you make a change!
How can Jellyfish Lighting help me?
JellyFish Lighting offers both DIY and professionally installed (depending on location) permanent Christmas lights that can be used through the year. If you’re interested in getting pricing please contact JellyFish lighting and get an estimate for your home today!
