When are homeowners looking for upgrades to their interior lighting? One might think it occurs with a consistent frequency year-round, but after researching search trends over the last four years, City Lights SF found that lighting upgrades, or at least, interest in better lighting, tends to tick upwards in the fall, with many common search terms seeing anywhere from a 50% to 100% increase in interest starting in September.
As part of its research into these trends, City Lights SF analyzed weekly Google Trends data for 10 home-lighting search terms across four complete seasonal periods from 2022 through 2025 with eight of those searches producing usable estimates for when seasonal interest typically began rising.
Six higher-volume terms were combined into a normalized Home Lighting Search Index to measure the broader seasonal shift.
Across that six-term index, search interest typically began a sustained increase around September 9. The normalized index averaged approximately 29.3% higher from September through November than from June through August.
Homeowners become increasingly interested in ‘warm lighting’ in fall
According to the index, search interest for Warm Lighting tends to increase approximately 55.7% from summer to fall, the largest, reliable increase among the higher-volume lighting terms examined. Following behind that is Cozy Lighting (51.7%), Warm Light Bulbs (42.2%), Porch Lights (33.3%) and Living Room Lighting (18.1%). Interestingly, Landscape Lighting declines 4.1% during this time.
What these findings seem to point to, as City Lights asserts, is that it’s not just a general interest in lighting that rises during the fall, but instead, its interest in very particular lighting needs and preferences that begin to take over in the fall.
Indeed, when looking at the various timelines, interest in Warm Light Bulbs starts ticking up sometime in August alongside Floor Lamps. In September, more people start looking for Warm Lighting, Porch Lights, and Living Room Lighting. October sees Under Cabinet Lighting rise. And in November, Kitchen Lights receive the most attention.
Interest in certain lighting solutions follow declining daylight
What’s more interesting is that interest in quite of a few of these terms tends to correlate with declining sunlight levels during the day. Porch Lights have the strongest correlation at 0.85 (with 1.0 being a 1-to-1 correlation), and Warm Lighting isn’t too far behind at 0.81. After that we see a drop-off to 0.71 and 0.70 for Warm Light Bulbs and Kitchen Lights, respectively.
Though, these findings should be taken with a grain of salt, as the report also advises. Correlation does not always mean causation.
Why integrators should take note
With how popular lighting has become as a category, integrators looking to maximize their reach and profit potential will want to consider how different language and messaging can resonate with homeowners depending on the time of year in which plans are being discussed. This also holds true when trying to maintain a strong digital presence, being able to anticipate potential client needs as the seasons change.
It’s also worth considering these interests and priorities when designing the lighting systems themselves. Dim-to-Warm lighting has become an incredibly popular functionality within the channel for the level of warmth and comfort it provides in a living space, much like incandescent lighting. Additionally, being able to layer lighting from different sources and fixtures allows a space to feel warm and well-lit without it feeling harsh.
Where to find out more about lighting interest trends
The full set of findings, as well as several charts and graphs depicting these trends, can be found over on the City Lights SF website.
