Are Permanent Christmas Lights Worth It?
The honest answer depends on how long you plan to stay in the house and how much you already spend on lighting every December. Below is the math and the cases where we tell people to skip it.
Any color, from your phone
Warm white every other night
Track hidden in the soffit
What You Stop Paying For
If you hire out Christmas lights every year, you pay design, install, takedown, and storage every single season. A permanent system replaces that recurring cost with one install.
Compare your last few Christmas invoices against a one time system price. The more seasons you plan to stay, the more the math moves toward permanent.
What You Get Beyond December
This is the part homeowners underrate. The system runs as warm white accent lighting every ordinary night, as security lighting on a schedule while you travel, and as color for every holiday and game day.
That is the difference between a seasonal expense and something you use most nights of the year.
When We Tell People Not To Buy It
If you are selling within a year or two, a permanent system is unlikely to pay you back, and traditional Christmas lights are the better call.
If the roofline is short and you only want one strand of warm white, the value is thinner. And if the budget is tight, the trackless option or a Govee install gets you into the category for less rather than stretching for the flagship.
The Costs To Compare Honestly
Track mounted starts around $2,500 at roughly $29+ per linear foot. Trackless InvisiClips starts around $2,000 at roughly $20 per foot. Govee starts around $1,000 at roughly $10 per foot, plus the controller box.
Financing is available through Wisetack, and we offer a military discount. If you already hold a written estimate from another installer, send it over and we will beat it where we can.
The Part That Decides It Later
Warranty. A system is only worth what the coverage behind it is worth in year five, when a fixture or a controller finally acts up.
Track installs from Capital Pro Lighting carry a lifetime parts warranty plus a 3 year labor warranty. A labor warranty covers the installation work we performed. If a mount, a run, a connection, or a channel we installed fails, we come back out and make it right at no charge for the length of that warranty.
- One install instead of a bill every December
- Used most nights of the year, not only in season
- Warm white daily, color for holidays and game days
- Security lighting on a schedule while you travel
- Lifetime parts warranty on track installs
- Financing through Wisetack and a military discount
Common Questions
How many years before it pays for itself?
That depends on what you currently spend on seasonal lighting. Take your annual install and takedown cost and divide the system price by it. Most people who hire out lights every year land in a handful of seasons.
Does it add value to the house?
We do not make resale claims. What we can say is that the hardware stays with the house and the coverage on track installs is a lifetime parts warranty.
Is the cheapest option a waste of money?
No. Govee installed properly looks good on a house. The differences are wider light spacing, blended white instead of a dedicated white channel, and a shorter warranty.
How much electricity do they use?
They are low voltage LEDs, so running warm white for a few hours a night is a small load. We do not publish a dollar figure because it depends on your rate and your run length.
What if I only want them for Christmas?
Then traditional Christmas light installation is probably the better spend, and we do that locally. Design, install, takedown, and storage are all included.
Can I see one in person?
We have installs across the Capital Region. Call or text (518) 900-1912 and we will point you at the closest one to you.
Already Have a Quote from Gemstone, Trimlight, or Another Installer?
Bring us your written estimate and we will beat it. We’ll review their layout and price you lower on our premium, lifetime-warranty InvisiLights system.
- Side-by-side comparison on lights, warranty, and controller features
- Premium InvisiLights with color-matched aluminum tracks
- True Lifetime Parts Warranty on all track installations
- 10+ years of local Capital Region installation experience
No obligation. Upload your estimate with the form, or text a photo of it to (518) 900-1912.