Every year, our lawn care and holiday lighting experts at ClearView Home Services answer hundreds of inquiries from residents and business owners about Christmas preparations. Some ask, “How many Christmas lights do I need to buy?” and “How will adding more lights affect my electric bill?” We are proud to be a reliable source of information for interior design enthusiasts who want to invite the spirit of Christmas to the indoor and outdoor areas of their homes and places of business.
In this explainer, our technicians will outline how many lights per vertical foot to use when lighting different areas of a residential or commercial structure. We will also detail which brands and variants of LED lights will last the longest and save you more money. Learn more about Christmas lights installation from ClearView Home Services by talking directly to one of our technicians.
What Is a Good Number of Christmas Lights for Residential Properties?
Many houses in our service areas feature skylights, peaks, outdoor columns, eaves, and various architectural features that make Christmas light installation a chore for their owners. When answering the question, “How many Christmas lights do I need to get,” our technicians find that dividing a house into three sections yields more accurate numbers.
How Many Christmas Lights Do I Need for My Frontage?
The Christmas lights on the front façade of your home will comprise nearly 80% of the public-facing aspects of your display, so you need to get it right. As a rule of thumb, our technicians use LED string lights with bulbs at least 12 inches apart. Never use any other lighting technology except LED from a trusted manufacturer, as your exterior lights will have to withstand adverse weather conditions, like torrential cold rains and heavy snowfall.
Most LED lights from home improvement stores come in 32-foot strings with 200 mini-lights. The cheapest models include non-programmable lights, but two to four strands should be enough to brighten up a small to mid-sized frontage. We serve many clients who want displays that can brighten up a mid-sized front yard, and we use strands of lights with larger C9 bulbs to help them do that.
How Many Christmas Lights Do I Need for My House Sides and Rear Areas?
The sides and rear areas of residential structures can be easy to decorate as they do not require as many strands of lights. You can forego installing light strips on side windows and doors, although if you live in a cul de sac or T junction, you will need to light public-facing portals.
Our technicians usually put on four to six strands of 32-foot string lights and two to four strands that measure half that length. For single-story homes, four 32-foot strands are often enough.
What Is a Good Number of Christmas Lights for Large Properties?
Large residential properties in our service areas usually have 10,000 to 20,000 square meters of rooflines, lobbies, and entryways to light. They require a design plan from a licensed contractor, and we do not recommend requesting relatives and neighbors to use stepladders to hang up lights. We serve many commercial clients who use hundreds of wide-angle, strand, net, and icicle lighting to cover sizeable swaths of indoor and outdoor space.
Calculating How Many Lights You Need
Our technicians use a five-step process that helps us give our clients accurate quotes. Most people hate it when businesses charge them twice for a miscalculation. So let’s look at how we do it.
- We look at architectural or engineering blueprints to measure the length of gutters, roof linings, fences, and entryways. If documentation is not available, we use tape measures or laser tools.
- We compute roof projections and fascias on the right and left side of the house if it has a patio, deck, or yard that customers want to light.
- We measure the peak sections of a triangle roof as most clients want them lit.
- We scope the height of pillars and columns and the length of deck railings and window boxes.
- We measure the circumferences and lengths of trees, hedges, bushes, and other outdoor fixtures.
Contact Us for More Information
So, to answer the question, “How many Christmas lights do I need?” According to Angi, the average Christmas lights installation cost on mid-sized properties is $422. LED lights require a more sizeable investment, but they pay for themselves over the years with energy efficiency and durability that other lighting technologies cannot match.
Call ClearView Home Services at (604) 944-9972 and get a free quote today.
