Permanent Lighting · Buyer's guide

Permanent Christmas lights: what they are, how they work, and who installs them

Updated September 13, 2026

Permanent Christmas lights are LED lights fixed to your roofline once and left up all year, controlled from a phone app so they can be red and green in December, orange in October, plain warm white the rest of the time, or off. There are two kinds: retail kits you install yourself, and professional systems an installer fits into a colour-matched aluminium channel and wires to a dedicated power supply. The professional kind is what most people mean when they say permanent Christmas lights, and it is a one-time job that replaces hanging and taking down lights every year. This guide explains what is actually on the roofline, what drives the price, and how to hire an installer without being steered toward one brand.

What is actually on the roofline

A professional permanent lighting system has four parts, and understanding them is most of what you need to read a quote.

• The lights. Individually addressable LED modules on a cable, spaced a set distance apart along the run. Each one can be set to its own colour, which is how the app draws patterns along the eave. Most systems mix colour from red, green and blue; some add a dedicated warm-white channel, which matters if you want plain white light for everyday use.
• The channel. An aluminium track, colour-matched to your trim, that the lights sit inside. It is what makes the system near-invisible by day and it is the part a DIY kit does not have. It is cut to your roofline, including corners, gables and dormers.
• The controller and power supply. A box that drives the lights and connects to your Wi-Fi. On professional systems it is typically wired to a dedicated supply, often with the wiring enclosed in the track or routed through the soffit, rather than plugged into a patio outlet.
• The app. Every brand has one. It sets colours, patterns, schedules and timers, and most integrate with Alexa or Google. The app is where you live with the product, so it is worth trying before you buy.

A retail kit, of which Govee is by far the most searched, has the same lights and app but replaces the channel with adhesive-backed bases and clips, and the dedicated supply with a plug-in adapter. That is the whole difference, and it is the difference that decides which houses each is right for.

Permanent versus hanging lights every year

The honest case for permanent lights is not that they are cheaper. A professional system costs several times what a seasonal install does, and a seasonal install costs money every year. The case is that you stop doing it. No ladder in November, no takedown in January, no box of tangled strings, and the same lights work for Halloween, the Fourth of July, a birthday, or a plain white glow on a Tuesday.

The honest case against is the upfront cost, the fact that you are committing to one look for the roofline, and that the system is on your house permanently, so a poor install is a permanent problem. Some homeowners also simply prefer the ritual of seasonal lights, or want a display that changes every year. Neither answer is wrong. Our cost guide puts the seasonal and permanent options side by side.

The brands, briefly

In the professional category the names that come up most are Jellyfish, Trimlight, Gemstone, EverLights, Oelo, Haven and Celebright. All of them mount in a colour-matched channel, all are app-controlled, all are sold mainly through dealers, and several also sell a DIY version. The hardware is more alike than different. Our brand comparison goes through them in one table, and each has its own guide.

In the DIY category the names are Govee, Eufy, Lumary, Twinkly and a few smaller ones. Govee alone is searched more than every professional brand combined, because it is the brand people have seen advertised. Most homeowners who end up hiring an installer started by searching for Govee.

What drives the price

Quotes for the same house can differ by thousands, and usually for reasons that are visible once you know what to look for. These are the factors, in roughly the order they move the number. Actual ranges are in the cost guide.

1. Length of run. Most installers price per linear foot of channel. A ranch with a long straight eave and a two-story colonial with the same footprint can have very different totals.
2. Corners, peaks and transitions. Every change of direction is a mitred cut and extra labour. A roofline with many gables costs more than a simple rectangle of the same length.
3. Height and access. Two stories, steep pitch, or anything that needs scaffolding rather than a ladder.
4. Where the power comes from. A short run to an existing supply is cheap. Routing through the attic or adding a circuit is not.
5. Which system, and which options. A dedicated warm-white channel, tighter light spacing, custom track profiles, or adding landscape lighting on the same controller all move the price.
6. When you book. Installers are busiest from September through November. Some price differently in the off-season, and all of them have more availability then.

Who installs them, and how to hire well

Permanent lighting is installed by specialist lighting contractors, many of whom also do seasonal Christmas lighting, and by some electricians and exterior contractors who have taken on a brand. Manufacturers have dealer locators, but each shows you only that brand's dealers. A directory shows you every installer in your area and what they carry.

When you have two or three quotes in hand, the useful comparison is not the brand. It is these:

1. Have they done a house like yours? Ask to see it.
2. Which channel colour, and does it match your trim? Ask to see a sample against the house.
3. How are corners and peaks handled? You want to hear about mitred cuts and a plan for each transition.
4. Where do the controller and power supply go, and how is it wired? Visible cable is the most common complaint about a finished job.
5. What does the warranty cover, for how long, and is labour included? In writing.
6. What is included and what is extra? Corners, peaks, difficult access and removing old lights are the usual extras.
7. When can they do it? Before the weather turns, and before the season fills up.

Installers are listed by state and city under permanent lighting, and you can search by ZIP below.

Seasonal timing

Interest in permanent Christmas lights climbs from September, doubles again in October, and peaks in November. Installers' calendars follow the same curve. If you want the lights up for the holidays, the time to get quotes is late summer or early autumn; by November most good installers are booking into the new year. The off-season, roughly January through July, is when you will find the most availability and the most attention. The lights work all year, so there is no reason to wait for the season to install them.