Fire Alarm Installation Cost Guide 2023

Fire alarms, commonly known as smoke alarms or smoke detectors, are vital for keeping you and your family safe in your home. There are battery-powered fire alarms and mains-wired fire alarms, the latter of which are safer. So how much will fire alarm / smoke detector installation cost you in 2023?

How much does it cost to install a smoke alarm in the UK?

How much it costs to install a fire alarm depends on the type of fire alarm you choose, where you are in the country and the size of your home.

Item	Cost
Battery-powered smoke alarm	£25-£50 each
Mains-powered fire alarm	£150-£250 each
Smart fire alarm	£175-£300 each

 Things that will affect how much it costs to install fire alarms are:

• The size of your home and how many smoke alarms you want to install
• The type of connection - whether you want your fire alarms to be mains-powered or not
• If installing mains-powered smoke detectors, the quality of your electrics
• The time it takes to install

HaMuch has a database of hourly and daily rates for electricians based on your location, so make sure you take a look at those tables to get a better picture for how much an electrician will charge you for fitting fire alarms.

Do you need an electrician to install a smoke detector?

If you want to install mains-powered fire alarms, you do need an electrician to install them. They will need to connect them to your consumer unit and do all the necessary wiring, which is a specialist job. If you try this yourself and don't know what you're doing, you could shock yourself or cause a fire hazard - and your alarms wouldn't work to alert you! It&'s better to leave mains-powered fire alarm installations to a registered electrician.

When an electrician fits mains-powered fire alarms in your home, they will look at your electrics and ensure that they are good enough to withstand a mains-powered system. If your electric installation is old, they may recommend that an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is carried out, or recommend that you replace your consumer unit before getting a fire alarm system installed.

If you're installing battery-powered fire alarms / smoke detectors, this is relatively easy to do yourself. Since there is no wiring involved, you don't need an electrician to install these types of fire alarm.

Types of smoke and fire alarm

There are three main types of fire alarm: battery-powered, mains-powered and app-based fire alarms. We'll go through them all and the advantages and disadvantages of them.

Battery-powered smoke detectors

Battery-powered fire alarms, often called smoke detectors, are the cheapest type of fire alarm you can buy. They are easy to install yourself and can be linked up to multiple battery-operated alarms so you can create a chain of alerts in your home.

The disadvantage to these types of smoke alarm is that if the battery runs out, they won't be able to detect a fire. It's important that you test battery-powered fire alarms regularly so you know when to change the battery. Most alarms will make a frequent beeping sound when the battery is running low, but not always - so it's best to check them.

Mains-powered fire alarms

Mains-powered fire alarms cost more than battery-powered fire alarms, but they are safer. As the name suggests, they're connected to your mains electricity supply and have a battery as backup. This means that you don't need to worry about checking your alarms because as long as your electricity is on, the fire alarms will be working.

In the same way as battery-powered alarms, mains-powered fire alarms can be connected together so they all sound when one alarm goes off. While more expensive, they are much safer, since there's no need to check whether the battery is low.

App-based fire alarms

App-based fire alarms, or smart fire alarms, are the latest smart technology to become popular. These fire alarms are also connected to your mains electricity, but you can also control them via an app. A popular brand of smart fire alarm is Nest. These fire alarms also connect to other smart tech, like cameras, door bells and security alarm systems.

While the most expensive option, app-based fire alarms offer the most reliable fire detection. Most apps will alert you by mobile notification if your alarm goes off, and some will also call the fire brigade. This is particularly helpful if you aren't home a lot, and can also keep pets safe when they are left home alone. The other benefit is that you can often silence these fire alarms via the app too, which is good for when you know it's a false alarm.

Do the fire brigade fit fire alarms for free?

Most fire brigades will fit fire alarms for free and do a fire safety check of your home, but only to certain people. Generally, you will need to be considered vulnerable, on benefits or of state pension age to be considered for this. These visits are often called ‘Safe and Well’ visits and may be carried out by operational firefighters or a dedicated safety team.

How many smoke alarms do I need for a 3 bedroom house?

For a two-storey 3 bedroom house, you should have at least two smoke alarms. The general rule is that you should have one smoke alarm per storey, but it's also recommended that you have additional smoke alarms near sleeping areas or areas where electrical appliances are used. Ideally your fire alarms should be installed on the ceiling in the middle of a room or in a hallway or landing.

How many fire alarms do I need legally?

Legally, you aren't required to have any fire alarms in your home. However, it's strongly recommended that you have at least one fire alarm per storey to ensure that you and your family are alerted to a potential fire as soon as possible.

If you are a landlord or own a commercial property, you are legally required to have fire alarms installed. In a rental property, battery-operated smoke detectors are the minimum, whereas there are stricter rules for shops and office buildings.

If you're looking to have a mains fire alarm system or app-based fire alarm system installed, post your job on HaMuch to get accurate prices from local registered electricians.

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