Every holiday season it’s the same routine: dragging ladders out of a hot garage, untangling cords, and finding out which strings died since last year. Permanent lighting lets homeowners in Queen Creek and across the East Valley skip all of that.
Short answer: Permanent holiday lighting is a set of app-controlled LED lights mounted in a low-profile track along your roofline or soffit. It stays up all year, is hard to spot in daylight, and can show warm white or holiday colors on a schedule. It needs a safe, weather-protected power source, which is where an electrician comes in.
What is permanent holiday lighting?
Permanent lighting, sometimes called architectural or year-round lighting, is a row of color-changing LEDs set into a slim, color-matched track under your eaves or along the roofline. The track blends in during the day. At night, you choose colors, patterns and timers from your phone instead of climbing a ladder in the Arizona heat.
How is it different from regular Christmas lights?
- It stays up. No hanging, no taking down, no storing tangled strings in a hot garage.
- It’s controlled from an app. Change colors, set schedules and save scenes for different holidays.
- It’s not only for December. Warm white works as everyday architectural lighting, and you can switch to colors for game nights and holidays.
- It’s planned as a system. The power supply, controller and wiring are part of the install, not a stack of extension cords.
How is permanent lighting powered?
Most systems run the lights on low voltage from a power supply and controller. That power supply still needs a regular household outlet or circuit, and it needs to be in the right place: protected from weather, close to the light runs and safe from overload.
Here’s what we look at on the electrical side:
- Where the power supply goes. Often in the garage, the attic or a protected spot near the roofline, so wiring stays hidden.
- GFCI protection. Outdoor and garage outlets need GFCI protection, and outdoor outlets need weather-resistant devices and in-use covers.
- A dedicated or switched outlet. A new outlet near the eaves, or a dedicated circuit, keeps the system off a garage circuit that’s already busy.
- Permits. New outlets and circuits are electrical work, and we pull permits where required.
If your existing outdoor outlets trip, don’t reset, or feel loose, get them fixed before you add anything new. Our electrical troubleshooting and repair service can track down the cause.
Can I use permanent lighting all year in Arizona?
Yes. Our mild winters and long outdoor season make it easy to get use out of it year-round. Homeowners use it for:
- A warm-white glow against stucco and stone every night
- Suns orange and purple on game nights
- Red, white and blue for patriotic holidays
- Red and green for Christmas, or orange and purple for Halloween
- Brighter light on a schedule while you’re away
- Because it just looks great
What should I ask before buying a permanent lighting system?
- Where will the power supply and controller be mounted, and is that spot protected from weather?
- Is the outlet GFCI-protected, and does it need its own circuit?
- Can a single failed light be replaced, or does a whole section come down?
- Will the track color match my fascia or stucco?
- Does my HOA have rules about exterior lighting, colors or hours?
- Can it work with my other lighting controls, like Lutron lighting controls or a timer?
- Who handles the electrical permit if a new outlet or circuit is needed?
How does Henderson’s install permanent lighting?
- We walk the roofline with you, plan the zones and pick the power supply location.
- We install the color-matched track.
- We run the wiring hidden through the attic or soffit.
- We mount the controller, add or upgrade the outlet or circuit if needed, and pair the system to your phone.
- We program your first scenes, show you how to use the app, and clean up before we leave.
Permanent lighting is one part of our lighting installation work. If you’re also thinking about patio, landscape or interior lighting, we can plan it all at once. See our permanent lighting installation page for how we plan the power and install the system. Our post on layered lighting in East Valley remodels covers the indoor side.
When should I call an electrician?
- You don’t have an outdoor or garage outlet near where the power supply should go.
- Your outdoor GFCI trips often or won’t reset.
- The outlet you’d use is on a circuit that already trips when the garage fridge or tools run.
- You want the system on a switch, a timer or a dedicated circuit.
- You notice a warm outlet, a burning smell or scorch marks. Stop using it, and call us.
If you ever see sparks or smoke, turn off the breaker if you can do it safely, and call our emergency electrician line. We answer emergency calls 24/7. If there’s fire, get out and call 911.
Serving Queen Creek and the East Valley
We install permanent lighting for homeowners in Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Florence, Scottsdale, Apache Junction and Gold Canyon, Sun Lakes, Tempe, Cactus Forest, Coolidge, Paradise Valley and Ahwatukee.
Frequently asked questions
Does permanent holiday lighting need an electrician?
Not always for the lights themselves, but the power side often does. If you need a new outdoor outlet, a dedicated circuit, a switched outlet or a fix for a GFCI that keeps tripping, that’s electrical work for a licensed electrical contractor, and it may need a permit.
Can you see permanent lights during the day?
They’re designed to be hard to spot. The lights sit in a slim track that’s color-matched to your fascia or trim, so from the street it blends in with the house.
Can permanent lights do more than Christmas colors?
Yes. Most systems offer warm white for everyday lighting plus a wide range of colors and patterns, so you can set scenes for any holiday, game night or event and run them on a schedule.
Where does the power supply for permanent lighting go?
Usually in the garage, the attic or another spot protected from weather, close to the light runs. It plugs into or is wired to a GFCI-protected outlet or circuit. We plan the location so the wiring stays hidden and the circuit isn’t overloaded.
Will my HOA allow permanent lighting?
It depends on your HOA. Some have rules about exterior lighting, colors or hours. Check your HOA’s guidelines before you schedule an install.
Ready to skip the ladder this year?
Henderson’s Electric Solutions LLC is a family-owned electrical contractor in Queen Creek, owned by Randy and Tori Henderson. Randy is our licensed electrician (ROC CR-11 #341452), and we’re bonded, insured and BBB accredited. We plan permanent lighting around safe, code-compliant power, so it works every night without tripping.
Call Randy at (480) 430-2775 or request an estimate online. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM, and we answer emergency calls 24/7. Solutions Only - No Excuses.