Smart Lighting Installation

More and more households in the UK are installing smart lighting with the rise of Alexa, Google Assistant and other smart systems. It's a great way to add value to your home, make your life easier and potentially even save you money on your energy bills. But how much does smart lighting installation cost?

How much does it cost to install smart lighting?

It’s difficult to say exactly how much it costs to install smart lighting as it depends on whether you’re looking for a few bulbs or your whole house switched to smart lighting. We’ll break down the costs here, but for a smart lighting installation for your whole house, it will cost an average of £6,500, but you could spend up to £10,000. 

 HaMuch has a large database of daily and hourly rates for electricians in locations all across the UK, so make sure you check these costs to get a more accurate idea of how much labour will cost.

What is smart lighting?

Smart lighting is lighting that you can control via a voice assistant, like Alexa or Google Assistant, or through your mobile phone. They're still powered by your home's electricity, but you can control each bulb wirelessly.

Most people opt for changing some of their traditional light bulbs to smart bulbs, which are usually LEDs, but if you're building your home or you're renovating a large part of your home, you could consider a smart lighting system for your entire property. For example, if you are getting LED downlights fitted in one room, you could get smart LEDs installed and consider installing a whole-home system at the same time.

Smart lightbulb brands

As smart lighting becomes more popular, more brands are entering the market and driving the cost down. It still could be worth spending more on a well-known brand to ensure you're getting quality you can trust. Here's a guide to some of the most popular smart bulb brands and how much they cost:

Factors affecting the cost of smart lighting

There are a few factors that will affect the cost of your smart lighting installation:

•   The number of bulbs you want - the more bulbs, the higher the cost
•   The brand of your bulbs - some premium brands can set you back up to £50 per bulb
•   Whether you need a hub - a hub allows you to control all your lights at once. If you don't have one, you'll only be able to control one light at a time
• Whether you want dimmer switches or motion sensors - dimmer switches allow you to control the brightness of your lights, while motion sensors detect motion and switch your lights on accordingly. These switches can cost an extra £20-£60

Do you need an electrician to install smart lights?

If you're just replacing traditional light bulbs with smart light bulbs, there's no need for an electrician. However, if you're planning on installing an entire smart lighting system with recessed downlights and other features, it's best to use an electrician.

An electrician will need to add lots of cabling and connect it to your consumer unit, which is a specialist job. If you try to do this yourself but don't know what you're doing, you could shock yourself or cause a fire. It's best to leave any electrical work to the professionals - make sure you get a range of quotes from electricians registered with a trade body like NAPIT or ELECSA. 

Do smart lights raise your electric bill?

No, smart lights shouldn't raise your electric bill. Most smart light bulbs are LEDs, which use less energy than traditional bulbs, so if you're not adding any extra lights to your home you may see a small reduction in your bill.

LEDs are very energy efficient, meaning that they will last you longer than traditional bulbs too. Therefore, you should spend less on replacing bulbs as well - some LEDs can last as long as 10 years.

Do smart light bulbs use electricity when off?

Yes - smart light bulbs do use some electricity when off, if they're still switched on at the wall. It's sometimes called ‘vampire power’. This is how the smart light bulbs turn on via voice commands or a mobile app, as they are still ready to receive signals. It's only a very small amount of electricity, so you shouldn't notice this on your electricity bill. 

However, if you switch the smart light off at the wall, it won't use any electricity. That does mean that you won't be able to turn it on with your phone or voice assistant until you switch it back on. 

Is smart lighting worth it?

Smart lighting is certainly not a necessity, but if you want control over your lights and you love all things tech, it's worth it. There are a few benefits to smart lighting that you'll want to consider when deciding whether smart lighting is worth it:

•   Control your lights remotely - whether you've just got into bed and forgot to turn the light off or you're out and want to make it look like someone's home, you can control your lights from anywhere.
•   Add coloured lighting - lots of smart bulbs have colour changing modes, allowing you to use them for parties, mood lighting and more.
•   Control brightness - you don't always want your lights on full power, especially at bedtime or if you're watching a film in the evening. Smart light bulbs allow you to control the brightness to exactly where you want it.
•   Increase energy efficiency - smart bulbs are usually LEDs, which use less energy, and since you'll have more control over your lighting, you can reduce wastage - for example, if you leave your lights on when you're not home, you can turn them off using your mobile.
•   Add value to your home - installing smart lighting can give your property the edge over others, so you could increase the value of your home.

If you're ready to find out exactly how much your smart lighting installation will cost, post a job on HaMuch and we'll put you in touch with local registered electricians so you can compare quotes.

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