Bringing the holiday lighting out each year is a fun occasion, but it does involve some hassle! If you’re tired of the yearly prep work it takes to get your home holiday-ready, you might be considering permanent soffit lighting, which would mean you can switch your holiday lighting on using an app without having to bother with installation.
If you’re wondering what the difference is between soffit lighting and store-bought LED holiday lighting, we’ve laid it out for you. Keep reading for our guide to comparing soffit lighting to LED holiday lighting.
Upfront Costs and Cost of Maintenance
Most people want to know how much soffit lighting costs. Because, of course, compared to holiday lighting that you purchase from a big box store, it’s going to be more expensive to install. Temporary or DIY holiday lighting costs a little more than your time to install.
Having said that, soffit lighting is designed to last for years. It’s robust and able to cope with all kinds of weather conditions, whereas regular string holiday lights aren’t built to last. You might get a few seasons out of them, but you’ll need to replace bulbs sometimes, so you’ll spend more time on maintenance.
Soffit lighting bulbs are hard-wearing, and new bulbs are covered under our lifetime product warranty, so you won’t have to pay for replacements.
Running Costs
Running costs are another thing to consider! With most families trying to cut down on their energy bills, adding another electrical element into the home can feel concerning. Regular holiday string lights do add to your electricity bill, even if they’re not used for long.
Luckily, LED lights have the advantage of not losing energy through heat, so the running costs aren’t too bad whether you want to go for holiday string lights or something more permanent. We worked out that our lights cost $4.34 per month for an average-sized home if you run them for 6 hours a day year-round.
The running costs will be similar for both LED soffit and LED string lights. Just remember to look for LED lights if you want the most economical option.
Quality
Soffit lighting is far superior when it comes to quality. It’s designed to blend in with your home using a color-matched track, so you won’t see any wires. That’s one big advantage over string lights. Our lights are vibrant, and because they’re there all year round, they can make your home look beautiful whenever you want to switch them on (whether it’s during the holiday season or not).
You can also use a combination of flood lights and track lights to get your home ready for the festive season—floodlights are super bright, hardwearing, and will light up your outdoor decorations.
Other types of LED holiday lighting can vary in quality. You’ll need to shop around a little to find the best ones, and you may find that they’re just not as vibrant and lovely to look at as permanent soffit lights.
Variety
Track lighting wins again here because you will have far greater control over your lights. Permanent holiday lights are designed to be customized to your heart’s content. You can go for flashing red and green one day and a soft, warm, twinkling white the next. You can use our Gemstone Lights app to create your own patterns, controlling everything from the vibrancy to the colors to the animation.
Some boxed LED holiday lights do offer some different patterns to try out, but they’re not customizable and are limited in terms of choices. If you’re just after a classic Christmas pattern, for example, this might not be an issue, but you definitely miss out on customization with regular holiday lights.
Installation
The downside of soffit lighting is that you can’t install it yourself—so there’s an upfront cost involved, which we mentioned earlier. However, that means you don’t have to worry about them ever again. You won’t have to drag out a ladder every year and do the hard work of installation. Instead, you’ll be able to sit back and relax, switching on holiday colors using the app.
Regular holiday string lights will need to be hung every year, so you’ll need to put in the physical effort to do it. For some it’s a nice tradition but it can be a lot of hard work, particularly if you’re less mobile or if you’re really busy and find it hard to spare the time. This is also something to consider if you’re looking at commercial track lights—you won’t need to spend hours every year getting your business ready for the holidays.
Quick Quiz: Which Type of Lighting Is Best for You?
Still not sure? Let’s do a multiple-choice quiz to decide which type of lighting will suit your needs:
When it comes to upfront costs, I …
- Have a little more money to work with
- Am on a very tight budget
When it comes to the installation process, I …
- Hate it and want to avoid it at all costs
- Like the tradition of putting up the lights myself
When it comes to lighting choices, I want …
- To be able to play around with different patterns and lights
- Something I can stick with until the holiday season is over
When it comes to year-round lighting, I …
- Would like to use lighting on the exterior of my home more often
- Don’t really care, I only want them for the holiday season
When it comes to weather conditions, I …
- Have to deal with a lot of harsh weather in my area
- Live in a fairly steady climate and don’t have to worry about weatherproofing my home
You’ve probably worked it out by now, but if you answered:
Mostly 1: You should consider investing in soffit lights—they’ll give you the weatherproofing, ease of use, and customization you’re looking for
Mostly 2: You’ll probably get what you need from regular LED holiday lights
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Does it take long to install soffit lights?
Answer: It depends on the size of your property, but most permanent soffit lights are installed within a day.
Question: Can I switch my holiday lights on using a timer?
Answer: Yes. Using the app, you can make your holiday lights appear as soon as the season arrives if you’d like!
Question: Will the soffit lights look natural in the daytime?
Answer: Yes, our soffit lights are designed to blend in naturally with your home, so they won’t stick out or look strange when they’re switched off.
Our Final Thoughts on Soffit Lighting and LED Holiday Lighting
If you’re interested in finding out more about how soffit lighting could work for your home, please contact one of our Authorized Dealers for a free quote. They’ll help you come up with a customized solution that best fits your needs.