Go Green This Christmas

Go Green This Christmas

While Christmas enthusiasts still long for a white Christmas, there is another Yuletide shade that is gaining in popularity……..green!

Environmental consciousness is becoming a topic of keen interest to people around the globe. More people than ever before are acknowledging that this planet is the only place we have to live, and it’s in our best interest to care for it. This new shift in environmental awareness has affected what we eat, what products we buy, and overall, how we live. This new desire to go green has had an impact on the ways in which we choose to celebrate Christmas.

Want to know just some of the ways that Light Knights Lighting is working to help you enjoy a green Christmas?

LED lights

We use LED lights exclusively and while there are many benefits that LED technology provides to consumers, in green terms, the most important one is probably energy efficiency.  For more information on how you can benefit from using LED lights, check out our blog discussion dated August 26th, 2014.

Recycle

Did you know that the holiday lighting we use is 100% recyclable? It’s true, as we care about our environment just as much as you. The last thing we all want is more reusable materials in our landfills. So, if it’s time for new lights for your home, we will take away the old ones to be properly broken down and recycled. The copper gets salvaged and reused, plastic is melted and reused and the glass is as well. Everybody wins!

Eco-consciousness

Eco-consciousness is a good thing. The more that people are concerned about the health of our planet, the better off all of us will be. At Light Knights Lighting we’re doing everything we can to assure that our products and packaging are as eco-friendly as possible.

Attachment Accessories For Your Christmas Lights

Christmas Light Attachment Accessories

There are several different types of clips and attachment accessories for the installation of Christmas lights.  Following are some of the different types of surfaces involved in installation and the best solution for attaching your lights.

Wood & Asphalt Shingles – The “All In One Clip” is the most commonly used and also doubles as a gutter clip.  Biaxial shingle tabs also work and are designed to accommodate C7 and C9 bulbs.

Clay Shingles – Clay Tile Roof Clips.  These clips have ridges built into the clip that help to hold it in place without damaging the tiles.

Roof Ridge Rows – These clips are designed to work with all types of roof ridge rows and work for C7 and C9 sized bulbs.

Gutters – Gutter hooks are available that will attach lights to most gutter types.

Trees and Shrubbery –  Tree clips can be used for installing lights on small tree branches, bushes and shrubs.  For larger branches, you might want to try stainless steel staples.

Flat, smooth surfaces –  Some options available for smooth surfaces include C clips, mini light adhesive clips (for mini lights only) and magnetic clips.

Another option for installing lights on a number of different surfaces is the use of a hot glue gun.  This probably isn’t a good choice for smooth metal surfaces or plastic and painted surfaces.  Make sure to test a small area first.

Using the proper means of installing your lights is no small detail.  Using cheap clips can quickly lead to disaster and a great deal of frustration!  It’s best to find a reputable seller as opposed to heading to the big retail stores.

Light Knights uses quality materials only and can guarantee customer satisfaction.  Why not let us look after your Christmas lights installation this year?

The History of Christmas Lights

The History of Christmas Lights

The history of Christmas lights dates back centuries, first being introduced in the 18th century where candles were glued (by wax) or pinned to trees. This of course was a safety hazard and many fires ensued. In 1882, the first known Christmas tree decorated with bulbs was displayed by Edward H. Johnson at his home in New York. He decorated a tree with 80 red, white, and blue incandescent bulbs. Starting around 1900, businesses, who could afford it, began stringing light bulbs around their storefronts, though electricity didn’t become the lighting mainstream until around 1930. From then on holiday lighting increased in popularity and has grown into what we see today; safe, extravagant, multi-option designs.

Call Light Knights today to arrange your free consultation for holiday lighting and make history for your home!

It’s All About The Design!

Christmas Light Design

Our design team at Light Knights are experts in Christmas lights and décor for both residential and commercial settings, and they love new challenges and opportunities for creative expression. We offer the following decorating options:

– Rooftops, roof and gutter lines

– Windows, Doors, Archways, Railings, Walls, Pillars, Decks, Garages, Driveways

– Trees, Shrubs, bushes, plant material

– Wreaths, Bows and Garland

– Regular tree wraps, trunk and limb wraps

– Candy Cane effects

– Themes

– LED lighting

– Use of: mini and 5mm lights, C6, C7, C9, net lights, rope lights, LED strip lights, icicles,

 falling snow effects, twinkling lights and every color you could want!

 

Trees

There are a number of ways to decorate trees. Among the most popular are what we call regular wraps. This is done by starting at the bottom of the tree and wrapping around it in a horizontal manner, resting the strands on the appropriate branches, with the required amount of slack. Vertical wraps are also popular and offer a totally different effect. Trunk and limb wraps can really bring certain trees to life once the sun sets. This involves wrapping the trunk of the tree and certain limbs with various lights to really bring out the tree’s unique shape. The sky’s the limit when it comes to color combinations and blending. Light Knights also offer custom made light balls that are hung from high points in the tree, when lit up at night offer a very unique ‘hovering sphere’ effect! We highly suggest them!

 

Houses

Every house is different and has it’s own architectural features that can be emphasized. Our design team works with our clients to fulfill their visions as well as be there to offer seasoned suggestions. Do you have a beautiful archway entrance to your home? Do you have stylish pillars that could be dressed to look like giant candy canes? We guarantee your home’s holiday lighting curb appeal will impress any eyes that gaze upon it.

 

Commercial

Light Knights is proud to offer our commercial lighting services. We work with Churches, Schools, Colleges, Universities and businesses of all shapes and sizes to brighten up their holidays and special events.

Top 4 Tips Hiring A Christmas Lights Installation Company

Hiring A Christmas Lights Installation Company

If you are considering hiring a professional light installer this holiday season, here are the top 4 things you must know:

Who are the installers at my home?  What is their training?

All of our installers go through a rigorous hiring schedule.  By the time we hire them, we know that they have the desire to make our clients happy and that they share the same values as us.  Job shadowing and apprenticing is also a key component to our successful training.

Are they insured and properly licensed?

Liability insurance protects your investment in case of the worst case scenario.  Additionally, it is imperative that all people working on your home be insured for health and safety purposes.

What payment options are available?

We offer a full array of payment options.  For your convenience, we accept cheques, phoned in Visa/Mastercard and recently the addition of payment online using Visa/MC/Paypal.  For larger jobs, we offer the convenience of paying a 25% deposit with 50% more paid half way through the job and the remaining 25% paid upon final client approval of a job well done.

What do other people say about the company?

Ask around and chances are your friends or a friend of a friend has used our services.  What are they saying?  Additionally, check out the testimonials and references.  If a company cannot produce such a request, it is likely their past clients were not happy with the results.

Plan Ahead This Christmas

Christmas Light Installation: Plan Ahead This Year

It’s seems as if the last holiday season was just here and yet the next one will soon be upon us… how time flies! But for those of us who love Christmas, it can’t come too soon!

The most memorable Christmases happen when we’ve planned ahead….when we’ve prepared ourselves, our homes and our budgets for the season. So why not get started a little early this year? Here are a few tips that can help:

Budget
Realistically plan out ahead of time what you can comfortably spend. This can greatly relieve the financial stress that so often goes hand-in-hand with Christmas. Of course you will need to tweak it as you get closer to but this is a great starting point.

Products
Be careful to choose the right products. Here at Light Knights Lighting, we use only quality lights that will guarantee your satisfaction. We carry LED lights exclusively which will go a long ways towards saving on your electrical bill. These lights come in a variety of colors and will last much longer than incandescent lights.

Getting an early start on Christmas preparation will pay big dividends by maximizing the joy of the holiday season for you and your family. By starting your planning early, you will build the anticipation of that magical time of year. You can expect this Christmas to be the best ever!

Christmas Lights FAQs

Christmas Lights FAQs

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just over 3 months away!  If you haven’t already done so, you will want to think about booking a time to have your Christmas lights installed. It is best to have this done early so that you can get maximum enjoyment from this magical time of year.  Here are a few frequently asked questions to consider as you make preparations for the season.

Q: How do you hang Christmas Lights?

A: We have many tips and tricks to professionally hanging lights, leaving them straight and uniform. The most commonly used methods are clips, ties, clear line and staples.

Q: How much energy do my lights use?

A: This varies per job and amount of lights used. Light Knights are proud to be   environmentally friendly and use almost strictly LEDs which use 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs.

Q: What is the difference between C6, C7, and C9 bulbs?

A: C6’s are versatile all purpose bulbs for indoor and outdoor decorating projects, measuring slightly smaller than the C7’s and are a fixed base bulb. C7’s can be removed from the base and changed out for custom color variations. C9’s are the biggest bulb measuring just under 3” and are also interchangeable. They are great for gutter and roof lines, being highly visible from further distances.

Q: What’s the difference between LED and incandescent bulbs?

A: This topic gets quite extensive and is explained in further detail on our website. The quick answer is, LEDs are much more energy efficient using up to 80% less energy than incandescents. LEDs last longer as there is no filament to burn out and are more durable.

Q: Will the string still work if one bulb burns out?

A: Yes, but there are exceptions. If the shunt (base) is still intact and the series hasn’t been compromised, the string will still work. If the shunt has been broken and power flow has been interrupted, that string will not work.

Commercial Christmas Light Installation

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Light Knights is proud to offer Commercial Christmas light installation services. We work with Churches, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Malls and businesses of all shapes and sizes to brighten up their holidays and special events.

 

Did you know adding lighting to a store front can make a significant impact on holiday business?  Drawing customers into your place of business can be difficult during the holiday season as the competition for shoppers increases.  By adding a light display you can dramatically increase the likelihood of people seeing your business and therefore taking a look at what you have for sale.

 

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Let us work with you to create a unique display whether it is lighting up exterior trees, roof lines, windows, or the inside rafters. No job is too big or too small and our design team will work with your company to provide a basic, less-is-more setup all the way to an extravagant, impossible-to-miss lighting system.

 

Check out Commercial Christmas Light Installations we have done for Save On Foods, Blenz, and UBC in our picture gallery.

How to Install Christmas Lights on a Tree

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So you want to install Christmas Lights on your home or business’s trees.  There are a number of ways to decorate trees and we will discuss each method in detail today.

 

Among the most popular are what we call globe wraps. This is done by starting at the bottom of the tree and wrapping around it in a horizontal manner, resting the strands on the appropriate branches, with the required amount of slack.  Using a step ladder or extension pole helps to get the strands up tall trees.  Both evergreens and deciduous trees are great for globe wraps.  Deciduous (leaf shedding) trees are perfect for 5mm and C6 lights and Evergreen trees are best suited to C6 lights.  Large Evergreen trees should be wrapped in C7 and C9 Christmas Lights.  Pro Tip:  For large trees use an 18’ extension pole and a thick car washing brush to make the job easier.

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Vertical wraps are popular with large evergreen trees and offer a completely different effect. Starting at the top of the tree, anchoring to a strong branch, all strands fall to the base of the tree.  Be sure to space the strands evenly.  These types of installations are best with large bulbs (C7/C9)  Pro Tip:  If you can’t get to the top, don’t worry.  Simply connect the strands at the top and at night no one can see that you’re not reaching the top of the tree!

 

Trunk and limb wraps can bring deciduous trees to life once the sun sets. This involves tightly wrapping the trunk of the tree and certain limbs with light strings to bring out the tree’s unique shape.  The best lights for this option are 5mm and C6.  Pro Tip:  Do not overlap strands too much or it will take an extremely long time to take down.  Rather, use multiplugs at the base of branch sets and feed off them.

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The sky’s the limit when it comes to color combinations and blending.  Some great combinations we recommend:

 

– Trunk wrap (Warm White) and Globe Wrap (Red)

– Trunk wrap (Warm White) and Globe Wrap (Warm White)

– Double Globe Wrap (Purple and Pure White)

– Double Globe Wrap (Red and Green)

 

Light Knights also offers custom made Christmas Light balls that are hung from high points in the tree.  When lit up at night they offer a very unique ‘hovering sphere’ effect! We highly suggest them!

Do you have any questions regarding installing Christmas lights?  Get in touch with us through our contact page.

Happy Lighting!

LED Christmas Lights – Sizes

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Christmas light installation season in Vancouver is around the corner and it can be confusing knowing which bulbs to use on what areas of your home.  Many sizes and shapes of holiday lights are available to consumers today. They vary from 5mm wide angle strings, C6, C7, C9, globe shaped, falling snow LED tubes, all the way to bulbs shaped like icicles and various other designs. We know it can be confusing trying to make your way through all these options, that’s why Light Knights have dedicated designers and seasoned installers to help make your holidays beautifully lit and hassle free!  Below, we will go into detail the different bulb sizes and their best uses.

 

5mm 5mm5multi A light that is perfect for wrapping branches and trucks.  They have a crisp sharp look to them.  Additionally, these lights are good for deciduous trees as the lights are able to shine through the bare trees.

M5 m5multi  The M5 lights are a diverse light that can be used for trunk and branch wraps, deciduous trees and small evergreens.  These lights also work great on wreaths and garlands.

 

C6 c6multi  The C6 lights are a bright light that is good for small evergreens and large deciduous trees.  Additionally, double wrapping these lights can provide a great effect to one’s homes roof lines.

 

C7 c7multi Generally used for homes roof lines the C7 lights provide a a bright larger bulb with 3 LEDs inside.  Applications include commercial buildings and large evergreens.

 

C9 c9multi  The C9 light is a great light for home and commercial building roof lines.  These lights are able to be installed in perfectly straight lines giving a crisp clean look.  From time to time these lights will be used for large trees of the 30’+ variety.

 

Globe Shapedg12multi G12 globe shaped lights are a great light for party’s and weddings.  Their round globe shape provides a perfect balance of light creating a nice ambience for any gathering.  These lights can also be used for trees and bushes.

 

Falling Snow 236513_t607 A great light for commercial applications in parking lots and over walkways.  These lights are also a great addition to a tree lit up with 5mm lights.

 

Intrigued by the various options?  Call us to book a consultation where we will go over your home or business and provide you with a recommended display.  Additionally, for more info check out our Blogs.