With the arrival of November, decking the halls with holiday lighting inches closer and closer for homeowners and businesses. SavATree, the holiday lighting experts, are here to provide you with 5 helpful holiday lighting tips to ensure your decorating goes smoothly, and safely, this year.
1) Use the correct holiday lights
LED (light emitting diodes) and incandescent lights can both create an amazing holiday lighting display. Keep in mind, incandescent lights cost more on average, both in energy and lifespan. LED lights have an average life span of 50,000 hours, while incandescent can only last 1,200 hours. LED lights also use less power, 6-8 watts versus 60 watts.
2) Inspect your lights
Strands of holiday lights sit in storage for months on end. Before installation, make sure to test that your lights are fully operational. If the cord is brittle or cracked, make sure to replace them. It’s better to spend money on new lights versus the risk of fire.
3) Check your electric
It’s important to never overload your electrical outlets with over-the-top displays. Lights should always be connected into a ground fault interrupter outlet, which is used outdoors to help reduce the risk of shock and shortage. Be cautious using multiple extension cords to power-up your display. Too many can lead to circuit overload.
4) When installing holiday lights, practice safety first
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates there were 15,000 injuries involving holiday decorating nationwide during the holidays. Always make sure you have someone watching you while you’re installing lights, especially when using a ladder on a roof or tall tree. Always remember the following:
- Make sure your ladder is secure on all four legs and locked
- Stay centered and do not overreach or wiggle the ladder in attempts to finish lighting an area
- Face the ladder when climbing up or down – never jump off
5) Call a professional for holiday lighting installation
The holidays are best spent with family and friends, not hanging and repairing Christmas lights. A professional can take care of it all (design and installation), while keeping you safe and warm inside. When hiring a professional installer, make sure you ask the following questions to prevent issues later on:
- Are they fully insured?
- Are they OSHA compliant and certified?
- Do they use clips/hardware that won’t damage your home?
- Do they have any official design training?
- Will they create a customer lighting plan for your location?
- Will maintenance be provided throughout the season?
- What do they do with the extra lights hanging off your gutter?
- Are all bulbs/fixtures LED?
If all this is too much for you, just call the holiday lighting experts at SavATree for design and installation ideas. Leave the worrying to us, so all you’ll have to do is enjoy the holidays.
Not available in all areas.
