Tis’ the season for holiday lighting, which means it’s time for you to decide how you want your property lit. For homes, this holiday lighting helps show your holiday spirit to the neighborhood and is a given for any type of holiday party. For businesses, holiday lighting can help bring additional customers to your business, support the community, and act as a backdrop to any celebrations or events you’re planning on having. A professional lighting installer is a must for larger estates and businesses: below are some tips to help you get the most out of your holiday lighting installation when working with a pro.
Think About Your Needs Before You Call
Before you pick up the phone to call a professional, first it’s important to think about your needs, your budget, and other factors that will determine size and difficulty of the installation (and therefore the material and manpower costs).
- Size of Property: How big is your property? And how much of that property do you want to be covered in lighting? This will determine base costs for materials and man-hours.
- Lighting Features: Are you interested in special lighting features? This could include centerpieces, tree-wrapped lighting, or even highlighting some of your own installations.
- Installation Timetable: What is the rush? When do you need lighting installed by? Depending on the contractor, you may want to talk about lighting late October instead of early December. Make sure to also have a take-down date in mind and how flexible you’re willing to be.
Lead with LED Lighting
After talking with your lighting contractors, you’ll have a better idea of what your costs are looking like, especially if you’ve decided to settle on additional lighting features such as wreaths, Christmas or Nativity scenes, or other special features. One installation feature to think about is the basic lighting. While conventional lighting is usually the cheapest option in terms of material costs, think about LED lighting: while the up-front costs may be higher than alternatives, they use less electricity, which can be a boon with long-lived installations.
Long-Term Savings with a Timer
One of the hidden costs of a lighting installation is electricity. Great lighting features also have some not-so-great electricity costs, especially since in the winter the average kilowatt hour cost increases due to shorter days and colder nights. When working out power management on the lighting, talk to your contractor about a lighting timer. These may require you to pay a bit more for the system, but it can also save you money by cutting off the lights in the early morning and turning them on only when it gets dark.
If you’re looking for great season lighting displays, look no further than Greener Horizon. We’re landscape specialists with years of experience in landscape lighting and seasonal displays for all seasons. Contact us today to help put the professional in your professional holiday lighting. Also, talk to us about making holiday lighting part of a seasonal management package as part of our estate management program.
