Aidan Bar-Lev-WiseSeasonal Christmas lights cost less up front. Permanent lights cost more, from $2,000 with WashTech and published figures of $20 to $35 per foot at other Vancouver installers, and then have no yearly install bill. On a 100-foot roofline, a $3,000 permanent system passes the seasonal total in season 4, as long as it needs no paid repair. Choose permanent if you want colour all year, want to stop paying each year, or plan to stay for many years. Choose seasonal if you want classic big bulbs, want nothing on the house for most of the year, or may move soon.
WashTech installs both, so we earn money either way. Every outside figure links to its source, checked November 5, 2026. Prices are in Canadian dollars, before tax.
Two looks, side by side
A permanent system sits in a thin line under each overhang, and the rest of the house stays as it was. Seasonal bulbs give a different effect: a thicker, warmer line that reads as Christmas right away.
Seasonal and permanent side by side
| Seasonal | Permanent | |
|---|---|---|
| WashTech price | From $900, typically $1,300 to $1,500 first year | From $2,000 |
| Each year after | About half of year one, $500 minimum | No install or takedown bill |
| On the house | Up for the season, down in January | All year |
| Colours | Set by the lights you choose | Changed in an app, with separate zones |
| Install time | We set your date when you book | 1 to 3 days |
| WashTech cover | 4 years on defects in purchased lights | 1 year labour, 10 years parts |
| Storage | WashTech stores them, labelled | None needed |
| If you move | The lights are yours to take | The system stays on the house |
Where each light sits on your house
The two systems attach in different places. The soffit is the underside of your roof overhang. The fascia is the board along the roof edge, where the gutter usually sits.
That position explains most of the differences. A seasonal bulb faces out from the edge of the roof, so you see the bulb itself. A permanent light sits under the overhang, so it is harder to see by day and it can light the wall below it at night. Ask any permanent installer how the tracks attach and where the controller goes.
The other difference is time on the house. Seasonal lights go up in November or December and come down in January. Permanent lights never leave.
What permanent lights cost
Most published permanent prices are per foot, installed. Our example home has the same 100-foot roofline we use in our Christmas light cost guide. At published rates, that roofline costs $2,000 to $3,500. WashTech quotes each home as a whole system, from $2,000.
- Vancouver Glow$20 to $25
- Revive Services$28 to $35
- West Coast Services, starting price$32
| Company | 100-foot example | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Glow | $2,000 to $2,500 | Says most Vancouver systems cost $20 to $25 per foot |
| Revive Services | $2,800 to $3,500 | $28 to $35 per foot |
| West Coast Services | From $3,200 | From $32 per foot |
| WashTech | From $2,000 | Whole system, quoted per home |
| Festilight | Custom quote | No per-foot price published |
| Santa's Little Helpers | Custom quote | Quoted by the linear foot, no figure |
Buyers talk about bigger numbers than our 100-foot example. An owner in a Maple Ridge Facebook group reported paying about $7,000 for the front and side of a house at $30 per foot. On RedFlagDeals in 2021, a homeowner called a $7,000 quote for 185 feet close to crazy. Those are about 230 feet and 185 feet of light, so a full home can pass the 100-foot figure quickly. Care Electrical's cost guide says permanent systems often run $3,000 to $6,000 or more.
Two checks before you compare per-foot prices. First, ask whether the price includes the controller, the small box that runs the lights. Vancouver Permanent Lighting says its $26 to $30 per foot leaves the controller out. Second, check where the company is based. That company ranked first in a Vancouver, BC search on November 5, and Trimlight lists it in Woodland, Washington.
When permanent pays for itself
Take the seasonal side first. Our example uses $1,400, the middle of WashTech's typical range, then $700 a year for labour. On the permanent side, we use $3,000, which sits inside the published range for 100 feet. Both are illustrations, and your quotes could land lower or higher. Move the slider to your own system price.
Seasonal lights, total spentPermanent systemSeasons 1 to 10
A $3,000 system passes seasonal lights in season 4.
Seasonal labour stays at half the first year. We add no cost for repairs on either side, and we hold every price flat.
| Season | Seasonal, this year | Seasonal, running total | $3,000 permanent system | Seasonal is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,400 | $1,400 | $3,000 | $1,600 lower |
| 2 | $700 | $2,100 | $3,000 | $900 lower |
| 3 | $700 | $2,800 | $3,000 | $200 lower |
| 4 | $700 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $500 higher |
| 5 | $700 | $4,200 | $3,000 | $1,200 higher |
| 10 | $700 | $7,700 | $3,000 | $4,700 higher |
System price changes the answer. Against the same seasonal job, a $2,000 system costs less by the end of season 2, and a $3,500 system matches seasonal at the end of season 4. Renting gives a similar answer: Flat Mate's Classic plan reaches $3,620 in season 4 at its starting prices, if its price holds past the three-season lock. Our rent or buy guide has that full comparison.
The math has a limit. A permanent system has no yearly bill only while nothing fails outside its cover, and WashTech's labour cover runs for 1 year. So the payback shows when the purchase price catches up, and the warranty section below shows what could add to it.
How permanent lights look by day
This is the question to settle before you sign, because you will see the system for 12 months and see it lit for far fewer hours. WashTech picks tracks that closely match your soffits and fascia. The systems are low-profile, and we describe them as barely visible by day. Here is what other sources show.
These pictures come from company marketing. Ask any installer, us included, to show you a finished home in daylight. Look at it from the sidewalk and from your own front door.
At night, the pattern matters too. The same Maple Ridge thread includes an owner who disliked the triangular light pattern on store-bought kits. Look at a real install at night, on a house near the height of yours.
Here is how a WashTech permanent job runs, from quote to app.
Quote and layout
We assess your rooflines, confirm the zones and plan where the controller goes. A zone is a section of lights you control on its own, such as the front entrance or the patio.
Tracks matched to your house
We pick tracks that closely match your soffits and fascia.
Installation
We fit weather-resistant mounting under the soffits with tidy cable routing, usually in 1 to 3 days.
App and walkthrough
We set up your scenes, schedules and zones, test each one and walk you through the app.
Every year after
No install and no takedown. You change colours from your phone.
How long they last and what the warranty covers
Most permanent warranties state 10 years, and the fine print varies more than the headline. Labour cover varies most. Festilight's runs 4 years, and ours runs 1.
- WashTech parts10
- Festilight product10
- Vancouver Glow system10
- Gemstone parts, its own Vancouver page5
- Festilight labour4
- WashTech labour1
| Company | Parts or product cover | Labour cover | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| WashTech | 10 years on parts | 1 year | 5.0 |
| Festilight | 10 years or 100,000 operating hours, limited | 4 years | 4.8 |
| Vancouver Glow | 10 years on the system, lifetime on LED bulbs | Not stated | 5.0 |
| Revive Services | The same page states 10 years and lifetime | Not stated | 4.9 |
| West Coast Services | Lifetime product warranty on lights | Not stated | 5.0 |
| Northern Lights | "Full warranty protection," no term stated | Not stated | 4.8 |
Read the actual document before you sign. Revive, West Coast and Northern Lights all install Gemstone lights. Their pages describe different cover, and Gemstone's own Vancouver page states a 5-year warranty on parts. Ask each company which terms apply to your system and who you call if the company closes.
Claims about lifespan run wider still. Vancouver Glow says its lights last 25 years or more. Santa's Little Helpers says around 10 years of use. Neither is a promise that the app or controller will last that long.
Hours are unlikely to decide it. At six hours a night, every night, a system runs 21,900 hours in 10 years. Festilight's limit is 100,000 hours, so its 10-year limit arrives first.
What December does to lights in Vancouver
December here is dark and wet, which shapes both choices. These are Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 climate normals for Vancouver International Airport, with sun times for December 2026.
Three things follow. First, dark comes early. Daylight on December 21 lasts 8 hours and 11 minutes, so lights have the whole evening to run from 5:16 pm. Second, you will mostly see a permanent system by day under grey skies, with only about 56 hours of bright sun all month, so judge the tracks on a cloudy day too.
Third, seasonal lights need work in this weather. Someone hangs them in November or December and takes them down in January, and about 18 December days bring rain. That is the chore a permanent system removes, and our crew is equipped to work in the wet if you stay seasonal. Permanent lights face the same rain all year, so the mounting and the warranty carry more weight. Our systems use weather-resistant mounting made for rain, wind and coastal air.
Who each one suits
Seasonal may suit you if
- You want the classic look of large C9 or G30 bulbs.
- You want nothing on the house for most of the year.
- You may move within about four seasons. Your lights can go with you, and a permanent system stays.
- You want a lower first bill: from $900, typically $1,300 to $1,500, against $2,000 or more.
Start with our Christmas light installation page, or compare installers on our list of the best Christmas light installers in Vancouver.
Permanent may suit you if
- You want colour for other holidays, game days, birthdays or everyday accent lighting.
- You agree with the 2021 RedFlagDeals homeowner who wrote, "I don't want to pay someone to install xmas lights every year."
- You plan to stay for at least four seasons, the payback point in our example.
- You have a tall home and want one install, then no more visits for the display.
Start with our permanent LED lighting page, or compare companies on our list of the best permanent Christmas light installers in Vancouver. WashTech vs Festilight covers a company that offers both types.
What this guide leaves out
- Paid repairs. The payback math adds nothing for them, because no company publishes a repair price list.
- Electricity. We did not find a published wattage for these permanent systems. Ask for it. Our cost guide shows that seasonal LEDs cost a few dollars a season.
- Store-bought kits. We did not price them. A homeowner in the Maple Ridge thread reported paying about $2,000 for a Govee Pro install on a 2.5-storey home.
- Climate data. The official figures run to 2010. Newer normals could differ slightly.
- Home value. We found no source on whether a permanent system changes what a home sells for, so we make no claim.
Questions about permanent and seasonal lights
How many years do permanent Christmas lights last?
Installers state different figures: around 10 years at Santa's Little Helpers and 25 years or more at Vancouver Glow. Written warranties mostly run 10 years on parts. Treat the warranty as the figure you can hold a company to.
What is the typical cost per foot for permanent lighting?
Published prices in Metro Vancouver run $20 to $35 per foot, installed. Ask whether that includes the controller.
Are permanent LED lights visible during the day?
Barely, when the tracks match your soffits and fascia. Ask to see a finished home in daylight so you can judge it yourself.
Can I add permanent lights after seasonal ones?
Yes. Your seasonal lights stay yours, and we quote the permanent system separately.
Which costs less over 10 years?
In our example, permanent: $3,000 against $7,700 for seasonal, before any paid repairs. A smaller seasonal job or a bigger permanent system narrows that gap.
Your next step
Ask us to price both on your free design visit, so you can compare them on your own roofline. Send your address and a couple of photos, and we will send a clear price back quickly in most cases. Get a permanent LED quote or get a seasonal lights quote. We install across Greater Vancouver, with pages for Christmas lights in North Vancouver, Christmas lights in West Vancouver and Christmas lights in Burnaby.