Are Permanent Christmas Lights Worth It? Costs, Pros and Cons

What permanent Christmas lights actually are

Permanent lighting is a run of LED lights mounted along the roofline, usually tucked under the gutter edge or the eaves, and left in place all year. Instead of separate strands that go up in November and come down in January, it's one system wired to a controller you run from a phone app.

Because the colors and patterns are set in the app, the same lights can be warm white for everyday accent lighting, red and green for Christmas, orange for Halloween, or red, white and blue for the Fourth of July. During the day, a well-installed system is hard to see from the street.

How they compare with a seasonal display

A seasonal display is installed every fall and taken down every winter. It's flexible: you can change the look each year, add wreaths, garland, tree wraps and landscape lighting, and use classic C7 or C9 bulbs, which many people still prefer for a traditional Christmas look.

A permanent system trades that flexibility for convenience. The roofline is done once, and after that there's no yearly installation, no takedown and no storage. It covers the roofline well, but it doesn't replace tree, bush or walkway lighting, so some homeowners combine the two.

The real advantages

No more ladders each fall. Getting on a roof in November, sometimes on cold or wet days, is the part of holiday decorating most people would happily skip. With a permanent system, nobody has to go up there each season.

Year-round use. Many owners end up using their lights far more outside of December than they expected: game days, birthdays, holidays through the year, or simple white accent lighting at night.

Timing stops being an issue. With seasonal installs, everyone wants the same few weeks in November and calendars fill up. Permanent lights can be installed in any reasonable weather, and switching them on for the holidays takes a tap in the app.

The honest downsides

Up-front cost. A permanent system costs more to install than a single season of traditional lights, because you're buying the hardware outright and paying for a careful, finished installation. Whether it pays off depends on how many years you stay in the house and what you'd otherwise spend each season.

Less of a classic look. The small individual LEDs used in permanent systems look different from big C9 bulbs. If the traditional, glowing bulb outline is what you love about Christmas lights, a seasonal display may suit you better.

It's on your house year-round. The track and lights are low-profile, but they are a permanent addition. Check HOA rules first, and plan around any roof or gutter work coming up, since replacing gutters or a roof later can mean taking the lights down and reinstalling them.

Who permanent lights make the most sense for

Permanent lighting tends to be a good fit if you plan to stay in your home for several more years, you already decorate the roofline every season, you'd use colored or white lighting outside of the holidays, or you simply don't want anyone on a ladder each November.

A seasonal display is usually the better choice if you might move soon, you like changing your design from year to year, you love the look of large C7 or C9 bulbs, or your roof or gutters are due for replacement in the next few years.

Get a free quote for either option

EcoTouch Service installs both permanent outdoor lighting and traditional seasonal displays. Our holiday lighting service starts at $299 and includes custom design, installation, a secure electrical setup with timers, maintenance during the season, takedown and optional storage. Permanent systems are priced by the length and layout of your roofline, and first-time customers get 25% off their first service.

We work across Chicago and the suburbs, from our Crystal Lake base in McHenry County to the North Shore and western suburbs. Request a free quote and we'll walk your roofline, explain the options honestly and help you decide which one fits your home.