By Emily Rivers
Last updated 25th April 2025

If you’ve ever been victim of a burglary before, you know how stressful it can be. As well as all the hassle that comes with filing a police report, cataloguing what has been stolen and getting in touch with your insurer, it can also leave you feeling unsafe in your own home.

One way to deter burglars and alert you and your neighbours to an intruder is to install a burglar alarm. But how much will it cost?

For a standard house alarm, expect to pay between £400 and £1000 for the supply and installation of a burglar alarm. Additional subscription/monitoring maybe required depending on the supplier. We’ll go into the factors that make up the cost of an intruder alarm in this guide.

Burglar alarm installation cost

How much it costs to install a burglar alarm will depend on the type of burglar alarm you choose, the condition of your electrics and where you live in the country. HaMuch has a large database of hourly and daily rates for UK based electricians and security specialists, so take a look at the table further down the page to get an idea of how much you’ll pay for burglar alarm installation in your town or city.

However, the average burglar alarm installation cost is £120-£240, not including the alarm itself. It takes around 2-3 hours to install a good-quality alarm, so the hourly cost for an electrician or alarm specialist is around £60-£80.

Burglar Alarm Installation Cost

How much should a burglar alarm cost?

How much a burglar alarm costs depends on the brand and the type of alarm you choose. There are a few different types of burglar alarm and some types can be blended together.

Image Name Cost
PGST Security Alarm System for Home, Wireless with Text & Call Alerts, 26-Piece kit: Alarm Hub with 120DB, Door/Window Sensors, PIR, Remotes PGST Security Alarm System for Home, Wireless with Text & Call Alerts, 26-Piece kit: Alarm Hub with 120DB, Door/Window Sensors, PIR, Remotes£139.00
XNY Wireless Smart Home Alarm System with APP Alert, Motion Detector, Door Window Sensor, Remote Control, Siren XNY Wireless Smart Home Alarm System with APP Alert, Motion Detector, Door Window Sensor, Remote Control, Siren£160.00
SimpliSafe Essentials: Base Station, Keypad, 3 Entry Sensor, Motion Sensor, Wired Indoor Camera SimpliSafe Essentials: Base Station, Keypad, 3 Entry Sensor, Motion Sensor, Wired Indoor Camera£245.00
Ring Alarm + Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) Pack - Requires Ring Home Subscription from £4.99/mo Ring Alarm + Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) Pack - Requires Ring Home Subscription from £4.99/mo£260.00
Yale Smart Alarm Starter Kit & Yale Home App Subscription £5 per month Yale Smart Alarm Starter Kit & Yale Home App Subscription £5 per month£299.00
ERA HomeGuard4 Smart Wireless Burglar Alarm Kit ERA HomeGuard4 Smart Wireless Burglar Alarm Kit£510.00
ADT smart alarm systems, includes initial installation and maintenance from £37 per month (36 month contract) ADT smart alarm systems, includes initial installation and maintenance from £37 per month (36 month contract) £600.00

Bells-only

Bells-only burglar alarms are exactly what they say they are: they only make a sound and don’t make contact with yourself, an alarm company or the police if they are triggered. They are the simplest type of alarm, and therefore are typically the cheapest. A bells-only wired alarm starts from around £380, whereas wireless bells-only alarms start at around £400.

Monitored

Monitored burglar alarms are more expensive than bells-only alarms as they are designed to put an agent in touch with you if it detects a break-in. The agent can also contact the police for you to increase the likelihood of them catching the burglary in progress.

Monitored alarms generally start from around £500 excluding installation costs.

Smart burglar alarms

Smart burglar alarms are becoming the standard now. Most British Standards-approved alarms will have a connection to smartphones, but you can buy more sophisticated smart burglar alarms that include cameras two-way microphones. These alarms can cost £650 or more.

Wired or wireless

You’ll also need to choose whether you want a wired or wireless system. Wired alarm systems require wiring to connect the sensors and alarm panel together. While wired systems have the benefit of not needing battery changes, you will experience an outage if you have a power cut.

On the other hand, wireless systems will continue to work even if your electricity gets cut off. Battery-powered systems emit signals to connect the sensors to your alarm panel. This means that the sensors need to stay within a set distance from the alarm panel to ensure the signal is strong. If the sensors are installed too far away, the signal could be too weak to trigger the alarm. Generally, wireless burglar alarms are more expensive than wired options.

How long should a burglar alarm last?

A burglar alarm should last at least 10 years. In fact, it could last longer than this – but you’d probably want to update your system by this time to take advantage of new technology.

If you have a wireless alarm system, the battery will typically require changing every 2-3 years. If you have your alarm serviced every year, your alarm specialist will be able to tell you when the battery needs changing.

Wired systems generally have a back up battery to allow for short power cuts. These generally last around 3-5 years before they need to be replaced.

Is it worth installing a burglar alarm?

The decision to install a burglar alarm is a very personal one. While some people will say that they are not worth the money, others will feel much more comfortable knowing that they have one installed.

If you have been burgled before, it can be worth installing a burglar alarm simply for your peace of mind. Knowing that you have a system there to detect an intruder can help you to feel safe in your home again after a burglary.

Some people believe that burglar alarms act as a good enough deterrent when they are visible on the front and back of your home, so burglars won’t even attempt to break into your home if they see one. Because of this, many homeowners decide to install dummy alarms – a fake alarm system that sits on the front of your house – as this is enough to deter someone from entering your home uninvited.

Do burglar alarms stop burglars?

Burglar alarms act act as a good deterrent to burglars. To keep your home efficiently protected, it’s recommended that you install a real home alarm system and keep it maintained. That means that if the presence of the alarm on the front and back of your property isn’t enough to stop someone from breaking in, the alarm will sound as soon as they enter.

Even if your alarm is a monitored alarm, it’s still unlikely that the police would get to you before the intruder runs away. Hopefully they will make a dash for it before they get access to any of your property.

To help deter burglars further and catch them in the act if they do decide to try their luck, you could also consider installing a CCTV system and a smart doorbell alongside your home alarm.

Can an electrician fit a burglar alarm?

Yes, an electrician can fit a burglar alarm – mostly wired systems. You may be able to hire a registered electrician or a security specialist, who is usually a qualified electrician anyway. It’s best to get a few quotes from security firms and electricians to see who can give you the best price and advice for your property.

Image by Freepik


Estimates for common fire & security specialist jobs;

JobEstimate
Cost to install a smoke alarm£84
Cost to install outside security lights£136
Cost to fit a smart doorbell£111
Cost to install CCTV cameras£390
Cost to fit a carbon monoxide detector£96
Cost to install a burglar alarm£419
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Rates for other trades

Burglar alarm installation cost in the UK
Estimate Burglar alarm installation cost in the UK, including Home Security Alarm System valued at £139, based on hourly/daily rate (excluding VAT or callout charges)
Location in UKBurglar alarm installation cost
Burglar alarm installation near London£387
Burglar alarm installation near Birmingham£331
Burglar alarm installation near Glasgow£335
Burglar alarm installation near Leeds£327
Burglar alarm installation near Liverpool£331
Burglar alarm installation near Sheffield£323
Burglar alarm installation near Edinburgh£339
Burglar alarm installation near Manchester£327
Burglar alarm installation near Belfast£295
Burglar alarm installation near Bristol£339
Burglar alarm installation near Leicester£331
Burglar alarm installation near Cardiff£327
Burglar alarm installation near Coventry£331
Burglar alarm installation near Bradford£327
Burglar alarm installation near Nottingham£323
Burglar alarm installation near Newcastle Upon Tyne£331
Burglar alarm installation near Brighton and Hove£343
Burglar alarm installation near Derby£323
Burglar alarm installation near Hull£323
Burglar alarm installation near Plymouth£323
Burglar alarm installation near Stoke-on-Trent£319
Burglar alarm installation near Southampton£343
Burglar alarm installation near Northampton£347
Burglar alarm installation near Wolverhampton£331
Burglar alarm installation near Luton£379
Burglar alarm installation near Portsmouth£343
Burglar alarm installation near Reading£375
Burglar alarm installation near Norwich£335
Burglar alarm installation near Milton Keynes£363
Burglar alarm installation near Bournemouth£331
Burglar alarm installation near Aberdeen£323
Burglar alarm installation near Peterborough£339
Burglar alarm installation near Bolton£327
Burglar alarm installation near Swindon£347
Burglar alarm installation near Southend-on-Sea£367
Burglar alarm installation near Warrington£327
Burglar alarm installation near Oxford£359
Burglar alarm installation near Swansea£323
Burglar alarm installation near Sunderland£331
Burglar alarm installation near Slough£383
Burglar alarm installation near Kingswood£339
Burglar alarm installation near Telford£323
Burglar alarm installation near Cambridge£351
Burglar alarm installation near Ipswich£347
Burglar alarm installation near Blackpool£327
Burglar alarm installation near Middlesbrough£327
Burglar alarm installation near Dundee£327
Burglar alarm installation near Huddersfield£327
Burglar alarm installation near York£327
Burglar alarm installation near Poole£331
Burglar alarm installation near Watford£387
Burglar alarm installation near Newport£327
Burglar alarm installation near Colchester£355
Burglar alarm installation near Exeter£315
Burglar alarm installation near Blackburn£327
Burglar alarm installation near Crawley£375
Burglar alarm installation near Gloucester£327
Burglar alarm installation near Stockport£327
Burglar alarm installation near Basingstoke£371
Burglar alarm installation near Basildon£375
Burglar alarm installation near Cheltenham£327
Burglar alarm installation near Gateshead£331
Burglar alarm installation near Worthing£339
Burglar alarm installation near Rochdale£327
Burglar alarm installation near Oldham£327
Burglar alarm installation near Chelmsford£371
Burglar alarm installation near Birkenhead£331
Burglar alarm installation near Maidstone£371
Burglar alarm installation near Gillingham£371
Burglar alarm installation near Salford£327
Burglar alarm installation near Solihull£331
Burglar alarm installation near St Helens£331
Burglar alarm installation near Worcester£331
Burglar alarm installation near Lincoln£331
Burglar alarm installation near West Bromwich£331
Burglar alarm installation near Eastbourne£343
Burglar alarm installation near Wakefield£327
Burglar alarm installation near Wythenshawe£327
Burglar alarm installation near Bedford£359
Burglar alarm installation near Hemel Hempstead£383
Burglar alarm installation near Preston£327
Burglar alarm installation near Stevenage£379
Burglar alarm installation near Southport£331
Burglar alarm installation near Bath£339
Burglar alarm installation near Harlow£383
Burglar alarm installation near Sutton Coldfield£331
Burglar alarm installation near Darlington£327
Burglar alarm installation near Chester£327
Burglar alarm installation near Hastings£351
Burglar alarm installation near Nuneaton£331
Burglar alarm installation near Halifax£327
Burglar alarm installation near Hartlepool£327
Burglar alarm installation near Aylesbury£371
Burglar alarm installation near Doncaster£323
Burglar alarm installation near Grimsby£323
Burglar alarm installation near Wallasey£331
Burglar alarm installation near Londonderry£291
Burglar alarm installation near Stockton-on-Tees£327
Burglar alarm installation near Weston-super-Mare£335
Burglar alarm installation near High Wycombe£379
Burglar alarm installation near Ashford£343
Burglar alarm installation near Redditch£331
Burglar alarm installation near Wigan£327
Burglar alarm installation near Scunthorpe£323
Burglar alarm installation near Bury£327
Burglar alarm installation near Paisley£335
Burglar alarm installation near Bracknell£379
Burglar alarm installation near Burnley£327
Burglar alarm installation near Rugby£335
Burglar alarm installation near Guildford£379
Burglar alarm installation near Carlisle£319
Burglar alarm installation near Chatham£371
Burglar alarm installation near East Kilbride£335
Burglar alarm installation near Newcastle-under-Lyme£319
Burglar alarm installation near Chesterfield£323
Burglar alarm installation near Burton upon Trent£327
Burglar alarm installation near Tamworth£331
Burglar alarm installation near Shrewsbury£319
Burglar alarm installation near Woking£383
Burglar alarm installation near St Albans£383
Burglar alarm installation near Harrogate£327
Burglar alarm installation near Crewe£319
Burglar alarm installation near South Shields£331
Burglar alarm installation near Craigavon£295
Burglar alarm installation near Stafford£327
Burglar alarm installation near Rotherham£323
Burglar alarm installation near Barnsley£327
Burglar alarm installation near Lowestoft£335
Burglar alarm installation near Walsall£331
Burglar alarm installation near Gosport£343
Burglar alarm installation near Dartford£387
Burglar alarm installation near Bognor Regis£339
Burglar alarm installation near Corby£343
Burglar alarm installation near Paignton£315
Burglar alarm installation near Maidenhead£379
Burglar alarm installation near Rochester£371
Burglar alarm installation near Ellesmere Port£331
Burglar alarm installation near Loughborough£327
Burglar alarm installation near Dudley£331
Burglar alarm installation near Bangor£295
Burglar alarm installation near Dewsbury£327
Burglar alarm installation near Mansfield£323
Burglar alarm installation near Margate£327
Burglar alarm installation near Kettering£347
Burglar alarm installation near Cannock£331
Burglar alarm installation near Sale£327
Burglar alarm installation near Taunton£327
Burglar alarm installation near Runcorn£331
Burglar alarm installation near Farnborough£375
Burglar alarm installation near Tynemouth£331
Burglar alarm installation near Hereford£323
Burglar alarm installation near Halesowen£331
Burglar alarm installation near Widnes£331
Burglar alarm installation near Huyton with Roby£331
Burglar alarm installation near Scarborough£323
Burglar alarm installation near Gravesend£379
Burglar alarm installation near Bebington£331
Burglar alarm installation near Kidderminster£331
Burglar alarm installation near Stourbridge£331
Burglar alarm installation near Barry£327
Burglar alarm installation near Smethwick£331
Burglar alarm installation near Dunfermline£339
Burglar alarm installation near Livingston£339
Burglar alarm installation near Weymouth£331
Burglar alarm installation near Brentwood£379
Burglar alarm installation near Barrow-in-Furness£327
Burglar alarm installation near Hamilton£331
Burglar alarm installation near Canterbury£335
Burglar alarm installation near Wellingborough£347
Burglar alarm installation near Sittingbourne£363
Burglar alarm installation near Macclesfield£327
Burglar alarm installation near Bootle£331
Burglar alarm installation near Carlton£323
Burglar alarm installation near Esher£387
Burglar alarm installation near Clacton-on-Sea£351
Burglar alarm installation near Lancaster£327
Burglar alarm installation near Beeston£327
Burglar alarm installation near Banbury£347
Burglar alarm installation near Torquay£315
Burglar alarm installation near Folkestone£331
Burglar alarm installation near Kingswinford£331
Burglar alarm installation near Bloxwich£331
Burglar alarm installation near Bridgend£323
Burglar alarm installation near Welwyn Garden City£383
Burglar alarm installation near Lisburn£295
Burglar alarm installation near Leamington Spa£331
Burglar alarm installation near Washington£331
Burglar alarm installation near Tunbridge Wells£371
Burglar alarm installation near Kirkcaldy£339
Burglar alarm installation near Hinckley£331
Burglar alarm installation near Durham£331
Burglar alarm installation near Cumbernauld£335
Burglar alarm installation near Wokingham£375
Burglar alarm installation near Horsham£367
Burglar alarm installation near Crosby£331
Burglar alarm installation near Yeovil£335
Burglar alarm installation near Thundersley£371
Burglar alarm installation near Altrincham£327
Burglar alarm installation near Willenhall£331
Burglar alarm installation near Christchurch£331