2026 Cost Guide · Guelph

Christmas Light Installation Costs in Guelph (2026)

Planning ranges for Christmas light installation and permanent lighting in Guelph in 2026, and why a limestone porch house can take as long to light as a much bigger south-end two-storey.

These are planning ranges, not prices. They describe what holiday lighting commonly costs on Guelph houses so you can judge a quote and decide between seasonal and permanent. Your number is written after a look at the house or at clear photos, because roofline length, peak height and how the house can take a clip are what set the time.

Planning ranges

• Seasonal roofline, bungalow or storey-and-a-half front: typically $350–$750 with commercial LED supplied, install, a mid-season service call and January takedown.
• Seasonal roofline, two-storey front with peaks: typically $650–$1,400. Second-floor peaks, steep gables and stone houses with fiddly trim push to the top.
• Full house plus trees and shrubs: typically $1,200–$3,000, depending on how many trees, how tall and how dense the wrap.
• Tree wraps alone: typically $150–$500 per tree for a trunk and main-limb wrap, more for a full canopy on a large maple.
• Takedown and storage alone: typically $150–$400 for takedown, and $75–$200 a season for labelled storage, when the install was done by someone else or by you.
• Permanent lighting: typically $28–$45 per linear foot installed, so the front of a south-end two-storey with garage and upper peaks, around 80 to 120 feet, commonly lands at $2,300–$5,500. A new exterior outlet, if needed, is a separate electrical quote.
• Commercial storefront or condo entrance: typically $500–$2,500 a season depending on frontage and height; plazas and larger buildings are quoted after a site visit.

All figures are before HST and assume the house can be reached from a ladder. Anything needing a lift, a roof that cannot be walked or worked from the edge, or permanent lighting on a heritage property is quoted after a look.

Seasonal or permanent: the arithmetic

A seasonal install on a two-storey costs the same again every year. Permanent lighting costs more once and then very little, and it is used all year. On a typical south-end front the crossover tends to come after four to six seasons, sooner if you would otherwise pay for both install and takedown, later on a bungalow where seasonal lighting is quick.

What it costs to run

At the OEB's November 1, 2026 prices, an LED roofline drawing 100 watts, on from 5 to 11 p.m., uses 0.6 kWh a night. On time-of-use that is two hours at 18.9¢ and four at 9.1¢, about 7¢ a weekday night and about 5¢ on weekends, so roughly $3 for a 40-night season before delivery charges. On the Ultra-Low Overnight plan the same hours fall mostly in the 37.7¢ on-peak window, about 18¢ a weekday night, or roughly $6–$7 a season. Either way the lights are a rounding error next to the install; the plan you are on matters more for the furnace and the dryer.

What moves the price

• Height. A second-floor peak is slower, ladder-and-harness work. A bungalow eave is done from a short ladder.
• How the house takes a clip. Continuous aluminum eaves are fast. Stone gables, short eaves and porches with no gutter take longer to plan and hang.
• Linear feet and colour scheme. More roofline, more lights. Patterns and alternating colours take more setup than a single colour.
• Trees. A trunk wrap is quick; a full canopy on a mature maple is hours.
• Power. Displays planned around existing GFCI outlets cost less than ones that need new outdoor power.
• Timing. November installs on dry eaves are quicker than December installs scheduled around snow and freezing rain.

What a quote should say

Whether lights are supplied or yours, what style and colour, how many linear feet, whether takedown and storage are included, whether a mid-season service call is included, and for permanent lighting, the mounting line, the controller and the warranty terms. A single number over the phone for a house nobody has seen is a guess.

Frequently asked questions

Price ranges above are typical Wellington County figures for 2026 and are provided for planning only. Every job is quoted in writing after a site visit. Last updated October 27, 2026.