Decided to go big on the outdoor Christmas lights this year, but need help running cables or mounting lights at height? You've landed in the right place.

Read on to learn about the average professional Christmas lights installation cost and up-to-date running prices.

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How much does Christmas light installation cost?

Christmas light installation costs between £200 - £500 for labour alone, or £3 - £5 per foot per foot if the electrician supplies and fits the lights. Meanwhile, the average job costs around £350.

While these costs are a good place to start, it's also important to know about the additional factors that can add to your quote. Let's get into it.

What's included in a Christmas lights installation quote?

A standard Christmas light installation quote covers:

• Labour

• Ladders or access equipment

• Basic cabling to get your lights up safely

Additional costs to consider

A few extras can push your total above the core Christmas lights installation price:

• Plug-in timers (a few pounds each)

• Extra extension cables for larger properties

• Storage tubs to keep lights in good condition year-round

• Take-down and storage service (if you'd rather not do it yourself in January)

• Additional outdoor socket installation (if needed)

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For an exact quote, you're always best off speaking to an electrician directly.

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How long does installation take?

Hire right and most residential Christmas light installations take a professional team two to four hours, depending on the size of your property and how elaborate the display is.

Here's a general steer on timescales:

• Simple front-of-house string light: Under an hour

• Full house-and-garden display (netting, icicle lights and a tree): Best part of a day

How much do Christmas lights cost to run?

Worrying about how much it might cost to keep your festive lights running through the Christmas season? Nowadays, modern LED Christmas lights use very little electricity, so you'll be surprised at how little it can cost.

Here's some cost calculations to give you a general steer based on the current Ofgem electricity price cap of 26.11p per kilowatt-hour per kWh (July to September 2026).

1. Christmas tree lights running cost

A typical LED Christmas tree light set (1,000 mini LEDs rated at 6W in total) running for 8 hours a day costs around 1.3p per day at the current Ofgem price cap. Over the whole of December, that's roughly 39p in electricity.

2. Outdoor Christmas light installation running cost

A typical outdoor display made up of netting, string, cluster and icicle lights (110W in total) running for eight hours a day costs more to run. At the current Ofgem price cap, that works out to around 23p per day, or roughly £7.12 for the whole of December.

To calculate your own running cost, try this formula: wattage (kW) × hours per day × price per kWh × number of days.

Or use our free interactive cost calculator below.

Christmas light installation cost: job estimator tool

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How to keep running costs down

• Use LED lights rather than incandescent bulbs

• Plug lights into a timer so they turn off automatically at midnight

• Only light areas visible from the street

• Choose a smaller, higher-quality display over a large but power-hungry one

• Turn lights off during daylight hours when they have no visual effect

Is professional Christmas light installation worth it?

Working at height with electrics isn't worth the risk over a few pounds saved. Hire a checked electrician and they'll:

• Make sure your display is safely wired

• Won't overload your circuits

• Can advise on the best spot for a transformer if you're running a big display

• Know the safe cable load limits for outdoor use (which matters if you're plugging multiple strings into one extension cable)

Why use Checkatrade?

• Checked - Every Checkatrade member must pass up to 12 checks and commit to upholding the Checkatrade Standard

• Guaranteed - Jobs booked through Checkatrade are covered up to £1,000 (T&Cs apply)

• Reviewed - Over 6.2 million verified reviews

Christmas light installation cost checklist

Before contacting a tradesperson, here's what to check:

Christmas light installation cost in the UK: Checklist

• Know roughly how many metres or strings of lights you need before asking for quotes

• Decide whether you're supplying the lights yourself or want a full supply-and-fit service

• Check whether any areas need extra access equipment, like a second-storey roofline

• Compare quotes from a few checked electricians, so you get a fair comparison on price

• Ask what's included in the quote: labour only, or lights too

• Only use outdoor-rated lights outside, and check for circuit overload before switching everything on

• Ask about a take-down and storage service if you don't want to deal with it in January

• Book early: electricians in November get booked up quickly

FAQs about Christmas light installation

Need more outdoor lighting advice? At Checkatrade, we're here to help. Whether it's garden lighting ideas or hiring specialist services like LED lighting installers, we’ve got you covered.

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