There’s a lot to consider when you’re getting outdoor lights installed. Are permanent or temporary lighting solutions better? Which one would work best for my home or business?

Of course, both have pros and cons. Overall, though, we think that permanent lighting solutions look better, last longer, and require less effort.

What’s the Difference Between Permanent and Temporary Lighting Solutions?

Permanent lighting solutions are designed and installed to last. Our lights, for example, last for around 23 years or 50,000 hours. They are a long-term investment. They are installed by professionals and require minimal to no maintenance, so there’s nothing for you to do beyond booking the appointment.

Permanent lights are designed to be a feature in your home for years and years to come, so we take the installation very seriously.

Depending on which lights you choose, temporary lighting solutions can last anywhere from one festive season to a few years of repeated use. You will need to take care of the installation yourself, and you will have to do any bulbs that need replacing or any fixes. So, you may save some money on the initial cost, but you will have to replace them more quickly, and you’ll need to put the physical effort into installing them.

Weather Damage

We need to discuss weather damage. If you live in a reasonably steady climate, this might not bother you. However, this is a key consideration if you live in an area with variable weather.

Our lights were designed in Canada, so we had heavy rain and a lot of snow in mind! They can withstand storms, strong wind, and super hot days. Once installed, you shouldn’t have any problems with regular strong weather conditions – our lights were engineered with this in mind.

Boxed temporary lights may say ‘weatherproof,’ but they’re not usually tested to the same rigorous degree as our permanent lights. Plus, depending on how you install them, you may find that they are more prone to being damaged or falling off in intense weather because they’re not fixed as securely to your home as permanent lights would be.

Precision & Style

If you’re a seasoned DIY-er, installing outdoor lights isn’t going to feel like a big deal. But for many of us, getting that professional look is pretty tricky. Getting that smooth, evenly spaced, stylish look of a discrete track takes a lot of time to get just right.

The good thing about permanent lights is that the finished look is always going to be perfect because they’re installed by experts. We’ve already put in the work developing custom tracks that integrate harmoniously with your home. We can deal with tricky rooflines, strange building shapes, and awkward angles because we’ve done it all before!

That’s a definite bonus to permanent lights. After all, they’ll be on your building for a long time, so we take the finished look very seriously.

We start this process before installing the lights on your property. We’ll help you decide what would look best for your home (track lights, flood lights, or a mix of both), working out which areas you would like to highlight and the look you’re going for.

Because our lights are designed to match the color of your building’s soffit, they’ll blend in seamlessly, adding to the sleek, professional look.

Installation

Installation is one of the most significant benefits of having permanent lights installed. Our experts will come in and take care of all of it, and the process is usually done within a day (although this can vary depending on the size of the building, or if you have extra buildings on your property too).

The downside with boxed lights is that you must put in this labor yourself. And they’re not designed to last as long as professionally installed lights, which means even longer-lasting lights may need to be switched up again in a couple of years.

When factoring in costs, it’s important also to factor in the number of hours you’ll spend on the installation process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What are the running costs of permanent outdoor lights?

Answer: Installing permanent outdoor lights over temporary string lights obviously has a higher initial cost, but you may be surprised at how low the running costs are. We learned that our lights cost about $4.34 per month (based on you running them for 6 hours a day, on an average-sized home).

So the running costs are good, and you won’t have to pay to replace the lights if they fail (because they’re designed to last for a long time).

Question: How much control do I have over permanent lights vs. temporary lights?

Answer: Some boxed lights come with apps, which allow you to change the lights’ colors, patterns, and intensity. This is great for personalization.

However, some temporary lighting solutions offer fewer patterns and colors than permanent lights. Our new app, for example, allows you to individually control up to 4,096 lights, creating countless patterns and setting zones that light up specific areas of your home.

Our lights also have a huge number of color combinations to choose from on the app (16 million, in fact!), so you can customize them to your heart’s content.

Plus, our lights don’t just allow you to use one timer – you can have up to 64 timers running at once, which means you can have specific lighting patterns kicking in at specific times of the day, week, or year. This takes the effort out of holiday lighting, for example!

Question: Why are LED lights more efficient than other types of lights?

Answer: LED lights are very efficient. Other types of lights, like halogen bulbs or incandescent bulbs, lose up to 90% of energy via heat loss. Whereas LEDs don’t. This means your energy bills will be way more manageable for bright, vibrant lights.

Question: Are permanent lights good for business owners?

Answer: Yes. Our commercial track lights are perfect for business owners; again, they save you time in the long run, they look more professional, and you won’t need to spare an employee to put up Christmas lights every year, which is also a good bonus.

Permanent vs. Temporary Lighting Solutions – The Next Steps

If you’re interested in having permanent lights installed, contact one of our Authorized Dealers. They’ll be able to give you a quote based on the size of your property, and they’ll be able to help you figure out which lights you would like and get the ball rolling!