It really shouldn’t need to be emphasised just how crucial it is to have the most effective possible fire safety arrangements in place at your home or business premises. Nonetheless, it is worth us doing so, not least because a lot of us can forget that fire incidents do continue to occur in great numbers each year, and these can pose an extreme level of danger to life, limb, and property.

UK Government statistics, for example, indicate that fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England attended more than 555,000 incidents over the course of 2021 alone – and that of these, 147,295 genuine fires were discovered.

When this statistic is paired with the 280 fire-related fatalities that occurred last year – compared to the previous year’s 220 – you can probably begin to appreciate why up-to-date, responsive, and dependable fire alarm systems are so important.

But What Factors Will Determine the Cost of Your Fire Alarm System?

This is naturally a complicated question, as the exact price you pay for your business or home fire alarm system will depend on such factors as:

  • The size of your home or commercial premises, given that larger sites are likely to need more extensive and sophisticated alarm coverage
  • The complexity of the fire alarm systems you are looking to invest in
  • The type of connection used
  • The amount of time spent on the installation of the system
  • Whatever additional costs may be charged by the installer of the fire alarm system – for example, if they charge extra for assessments and site visits

How Much Might I Pay for a Home Fire Alarm System?

Various authoritative online sources point to different possibilities for what you might be charged to have a fire alarm system installed in your humble abode. The Checkatrade website, for example, states that the average domestic fire alarm system installation tends to cost between £50 and £250.

But some of the prices you may see being bandied about online might vary a lot from one source to another. That’s likely to be because some ‘headline’ prices you see won’t cover absolutely every expense that may be involved in the given fire alarm system installation – for example, the cost of making good of walls and ceilings in readiness for a cabled system, or even just having multiple alarms fitted.

So, whatever eye-catching figure you see for fire alarm installation isn’t quite as important as knowing what exactly is covered in that price. It’s also why it’s good to see websites like HouseholdQuotes.co.uk drilling down into more specific information. The site points out that fitting six mains-powered smoke detectors in a one-to-two-bedroom terraced property, for example, could set you back about £420 to £540, presuming an eight-hour installation time.

Ask the same site what you might have to pay for the fitting of 10 alarms in a four-bed detached house, meanwhile, and it will give you a £500 to £800 figure for the total cost, on the basis of 12 hours’ installation time, and the mains-powered smoke detectors costing £20 to £40 each.

What About the Cost of Fire Alarms for My Commercial Premises?

This is a question on which multiple trusted sources agree. In its comprehensive guide to alarm-system costs, the Startups.co.uk website states that if you operate a commercial premises, the typical price of a fire alarm system for such a site is approximately £2,000 to £5,000.

Delving into greater detail, HouseholdQuotes.co.uk suggests that you might expect to pay only about £2,400 to £3,600 for a system comprising 15 detectors across your business site. But it says that a 25-detector system across a 10-zone business site could cost around £3,900 to £5,100.

With so many factors to account for when you are considering how much you are likely to end up paying for fire alarm systems across your domestic or commercial site, it can be a good idea to get in touch with the Metro Security team for more tailored advice. We can offer a free site survey to help get your relationship with us off to the best possible start.