Top 3 Best Permanent Christmas Lights for Your Home

Colorful house lit up with permanent holiday lights showcasing vibrant hues of blue, green, orange, and red.

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Permanent Christmas lighting is a type of outdoor lighting that is designed to last for years and can be customized to create different effects and colors for any season or event. Unlike traditional holiday lighting, permanent outdoor Christmas lighting does not require you to climb ladders, hang strings, or deal with tangled wires every year. Instead, you can simply control your lights with a smartphone app or a remote and enjoy the convenience, durability, safety, and energy efficiency of permanent outdoor Christmas lighting.

However, not all permanent Christmas lighting products are created equal. There are many brands and products in the market, each with its own features, benefits, and drawbacks. How do you know which one is the best for your home and your needs? How do you compare them based on objective criteria and reliable data? That’s what this blog post is all about. By the end, you will have a clear idea of which permanent Christmas lighting product is the best for you.

Arizona home with permanent holiday lighting in Red, Green, and White for Christmas

Permanent Christmas lights offer several benefits over traditional Christmas lights. For one, they are much more convenient. Once installed, they can be used year after year without the need for taking them down and putting them back up. This means you can stay off ladders and rooftops every holiday season, saving you time and effort, and allowing you to focus on other holiday preparations.

In addition, permanent outdoor Christmas lights can be used year-round for any holiday, special occasion, game days, or simply as accent lighting. You’ll never need to hang Christmas lights again, as they are always ready to use. This not only saves you time and effort but also adds to the aesthetic appeal of your home.

Permanent Christmas lights offer many benefits including convenience, versatility, aesthetic appeal, increased property value, and improved security. They are a great investment for homeowners looking for a hassle-free and cost-effective solution for holiday lighting.

Two storied home decorated with multi-colored LED lights on roofline

Top 3 Best Permanent Christmas Lights

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of permanent Christmas lights, let’s take a look at the top 3 best brands on the market and how they started.

Oelo Lighting Solutions is a company that offers permanent structural lighting solutions for homes and businesses. Backed by 40 years in the mission-critical lighting industry, Oelo delivers permanent, configurable permanent holiday lights. Oelo’s patented color-changing lighting system offers the most versatile mounting options and is rated for 100,000 hours — twice the lifespan of any other competitor.
Oelo’s permanent outdoor Christmas lights blend in with the building’s fascia for a seamless look, while their color-changing LED lights are uniquely expressive by night thanks to their customizable color app. With their intelligent controller and app, the possibilities are nearly endless. You can enjoy infinite colors, plus an array of movement modes, with Oelo’s customizable color app. You can even “save” your favorite patterns (or choose their pre-set ones) for added convenience and repeat festivity.

Built to withstand the elements and backed by their hard-working team in Colorado, Oelo stands behind every system. Quality lighting solutions start with a quality product warranty. They stand behind every product with a five-year warranty, and each system is rated for 100,000 hours of use — the equivalent of 22 years of nightly 12-hour glow! Each system is UL rated and these self-extinguishing, fully water-submersible lights tout a V-0 fire rating and an IP68 water rating.

Oelo Lighting Solutions is recognized as the premium brand in the permanent Christmas lighting industry that offers the most durable, energy-efficient, and customizable lighting solutions for homeowners and businesses alike. With their versatile use, safety features, and creative customization options through their app, they are truly the best choice for those looking to invest in a long-lasting and visually appealing lighting display.

Jellyfish Lighting

JellyFish Lighting is an exterior lighting company headquartered in Utah. In 2011, their inventor thought that it’d be great to create a permanent solution for Christmas lighting, but still have the ability to use the product for the rest of the year. After calling over 60 different manufacturers, in 2012 he finally found a color-changing light that was capable and he started installing it on homes. As his company began to grow, the product advanced into what it is today. In 2016 he partnered with a home automation company and continued to grow the company under the JellyFish Lighting name.

JellyFish Lighting is the great solution for accent lighting. Within their app, you’re able to decide which lights you’d like on and what color they’ll be. For example, you can turn on two lights at the top of each peak and leave the rest of the lights off. You can also choose from one of their preset patterns where one light is on every 3, 6, or 8 feet. You have the ability to make any shade of white you’d like to match your other exterior lighting or complement your home’s colors.

JellyFish Lighting offers a unique soffit lighting solution for homes and businesses. They provide elegant backyard lighting for patios, pergolas, awnings, deck railings, and more. With their cutting-edge app, creating accent lighting is as simple as tapping a couple of buttons on a smartphone device to pick any color and spacing options needed for elegant, ambient accent lights all year long.

Gemstone Lighting

Gemstone Lights is a company that was founded in 2016 and is committed to producing high-quality LED lighting solutions for homes and businesses. Their journey began when their founder grew frustrated with the lack of high-quality permanent outdoor lighting options available on the market. He set out to create a system that could withstand the harsh winters and enhance the aesthetic of any home.

Gemstone Lights offers permanent LED track lighting that blends perfectly into your home. Their low-profile color-matched track hides the LED lights during the day and brings them to life at night, with perfect spacing. Their track, combined with their proprietary controller and lights, gives Gemstone Lights users ultimate control. You can create patterns, animations, and colors using their cloud-enabled Gemstone Lights HUB app. You can address each light individually to create beautiful architectural patterns or make your house shine in multi-colors for any celebration.

Gemstone Lights uses in-house machines to custom fit any shape or depth of track. They offer multiple different profiles of track that will work with your roofline, regardless of the construction of the soffit/fascia on your home. They have access to over 150 soffit and fascia colors, allowing them to create an exact color-match.

Gemstone Lights offers permanent, customizable LED lighting systems for homes and businesses. Their app allows you to select from over 16 million colors and create custom patterns with over 20 different movements and effects. You can also choose from 102 preset patterns from their customer’s recommendations. With their easy installation, versatile use, safety features, and creative customization options through their app, they are a great choice for those looking to invest in a long-lasting and visually appealing lighting display.

Side by side Oelo track lighting comparing Aluminum vs Acrylic

Installation and Maintenance

While some permanent Christmas light systems can be installed by a homeowner, it’s not recommended it due to the difficulty of the process. It’s best to trust experienced professionals for proper installation and optimal performance of your permanent holiday lighting system. The installation requires climbing ladders which can be risky, proper wire routing and connections, and there are various track mounting methods for optimal visual appearance and lighting displays.

In terms of maintenance, there is little to no maintenance required with these systems. They are rated to last between 50,000 hours (Jellyfish lighting, Gemstone Lighting) and 100,000 hours (Oelo), providing years of hassle-free use. Simply enjoy the beautiful lighting displays without worrying about maintenance or upkeep.

By trusting experienced professionals for the installation of your permanent Christmas light system, you can ensure that it is properly installed for optimal performance and visual appeal. And with little to no maintenance required, you can enjoy the beauty of your lights for years to come.

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Important Ratings Not to Overlook

When it comes to safety, it is important to consider several factors when choosing permanent outdoor Christmas lights. One important factor is whether the product is UL-Listed. The UL-Listed mark on a product verifies that it has been independently assessed for safety and reliability, and meets recognized safety standards. It gives confidence that the product has undergone professional evaluation to reduce the risk of electrical hazards or other safety-related issues. It is essential to look for the UL-Listed mark when purchasing electrical or electronic products to ensure the safety and well-being of users and property.

Of the three brands we have discussed, Oelo Lighting is UL-Listed Certified, while Jellyfish Lighting is not, and Gemstone Lighting’s UL-Listing status is undisclosed.

Another important factor to consider is the waterproof rating of the lights. Oelo Lighting has an IP68 rating, representing fully-submersible capability. Gemstone Lighting has an IP67 rating, indicating short-term exposure to moisture capability. No waterproof ratings were found for Jellyfish Lighting.

The fire rating of the lights is also an important consideration. Oelo Lighting has a V-0 rating, representing self-extinguishing lights. The light capsule would not ignite if the LED were to burn. Oelo Lighting is the only brand in permanent lighting that has this rating. No fire ratings were found for Jellyfish Lighting, and no fire ratings were disclosed for Gemstone Lighting.

Finally, it is important to consider the system warranty when choosing permanent Christmas lights. Oelo Lighting and Gemstone Lighting both offers a 5-year parts and 1-year labor warranty. Jellyfish Lighting offers a 3-year parts and 1-year labor warranty.

When choosing permanent Christmas lights, it is important to consider factors such as UL-Listing, waterproof rating, fire rating, and system warranty to ensure the safety and reliability of the product.

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Energy Efficiency

One of the benefits of permanent Christmas lights is their energy efficiency. These lights use LED technology, which uses significantly less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. On full bright white, the lights use less than one watt of power.

For example, the average size home (with 117 linear feet of roofline) will require 150 Lights. At maximum capacity, the lights pull 1 watt/bulb. Therefore, if you were to run the track lighting system for an average of 6 hours per day, it would cost roughly $4-$5 per month, or $50-$60 per year.

Customization Options

One of the best things about permanent Christmas lights is the wide range of customization options available. Many brands offer app-controlled lights that allow you to choose from a variety of colors, patterns, and effects. For example, Oelo Lighting, Jellyfish Lighting, and Gemstone Lighting all offer over 16 million colors. Additionally, these brands offer pre-installed lighting programs, with Oelo Lighting offering over 30 factory preset patterns with the ability for unlimited pattern and color variations, Jellyfish Lighting offering 102 preset programs, and Gemstone Lighting offering 100+ preset programs.

Another feature to consider is individually addressable LEDs. With individually addressable LEDs, you can create dynamic lighting effects, animations, and patterns that would be challenging or impossible to achieve with traditional LEDs or incandescent lights. They are often controlled by microcontrollers or specialized LED controllers, which allow you to program and customize the lighting effects according to your specific needs and preferences. Oelo Lighting, Jellyfish Lighting, and Gemstone Lighting all offer individually addressable LEDs.

Operating your permanent holiday lights with a cloud-based operation brings several advantages, leveraging the power of the internet and cloud services to enhance your lighting experience. Some benefits include remote access, convenience, real-time visibility, and integration into smart home functions such as Alexa. Oelo Lighting, Jellyfish Lighting, and Gemstone Lighting all offer cloud-based operation.

Warm white capability is another feature to consider. Warm white refers to a light that emits a warm, cozy, and slightly yellowish glow, similar to the color of traditional incandescent bulbs or candlelight. The color temperature of warm white light typically ranges from around 2700K to 3500K (Kelvin). Jellyfish Lighting, Gemstone Lighting, and Oelo Lighting all offer warm white capability.

A security spotlight feature is another option to consider. This feature enhances security and lighting by providing multi-use system that doubles as extra lighting for your security system. Oelo Lighting, Jellyfish Lighting, and Gemstone Lights all offer a security spotlight feature.

Finally, some brands offer the ability to control the lights from a desktop computer. This provides benefits such as centralized control, quick access, and multi-tasking. Oelo Lighting offers desktop computer control while Jellyfish Lighting and Gemstone Lighting do not.

Cost of Permanent Christmas Lights

While the initial cost of permanent outdoor Christmas lights may be higher than traditional lights, they can actually save you money in the long run. Permanent Christmas Lighting typically costs around $25-35 per foot installed. The price per foot is based on factors such as difficulty, location, and time of year. Local authorized dealers’ pricing is independent of corporate pricing.

Professional installers such as Leading Edge Decorative Lighting, a Preferred Oelo Dealer in Phoenix, Arizona, offer incentives during certain times of year, first responder discounts, and referral programs which could lower the initial expense. Additionally, most dealers offer financing options which can make this home improvement affordable with monthly payments in the range of $100-$400.

When comparing the cost of permanent Christmas lights to traditional lights, it is important to consider not only the upfront cost but also the long-term savings. Because permanent Christmas lights are designed to last for many years, you won’t have to constantly replace broken or burnt-out bulbs. In addition, their energy efficiency means that you will save money on your energy bills over time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, permanent outdoor Christmas lights offer many benefits over traditional Christmas lights. They are convenient, durable, energy-efficient, and customizable. With top brands such as Oelo Lighting Solutions, JellyFish Lighting, and Gemstone Lights, you are sure to find a solution that meets your needs and budget.

Of these three brands, Oelo Lighting Solutions stands out as a top choice for 2023. With its UL-Listed certification, IP68 waterproof rating, V-0 fire rating, and 5-year parts and 1-year labor warranty, Oelo Lighting offers a safe and reliable product. In addition, its customizable color app allows for infinite colors and movement modes, while its low-profile design blends seamlessly with your home’s fascia.

Thank you for reading our blog post about the top 3 best permanent Christmas lights! We hope that this information has been helpful and informative. If you are interested in learning more about permanent Christmas lights or other home improvement topics, be sure to check out more content on our blog.

Note: This blog post provides a comparative analysis and is based on the information available at the time of writing. Product features and specifications may change over time, so it’s essential to refer to the official websites or consult with manufacturers for the most up-to-date information.

House with vibrant, rainbow-colored permanent holiday lights outlining the roof and windows, creating a festive and joyful atmosphere
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