Security & low voltage
Security Estimate Calculator
Builds a security quote, where the cable routes are the unknown.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment and the call-out, then tax. Equipment quantities are knowable from the design. The labour is not fully knowable until the building is opened, because cable routes through a finished structure are discovered rather than planned: a wall that looks straightforward can be blocked by firestopping, ductwork or a steel member, and the detour is time nobody quoted.
What moves the number
- Number and length of cable runs through a finished building.
- Construction type, since masonry, steel stud and timber differ substantially.
- Whether ceilings are accessible or have to be opened and patched.
- Programming and commissioning time, which is often underquoted.
Where this one goes wrong
Survey before quoting, and look above the ceiling rather than at the rooms. Accessible ceilings and a clear path to a riser make a building cheap to wire; firestopped walls, solid masonry, steel framing and inaccessible ceilings make the same device count a multiple of the hours. Agreeing where cables may run and who patches is also worth settling in writing, since a customer expecting invisible cabling and getting surface trunking has a reasonable complaint. Programming and commissioning deserve a line of their own, because they are real hours and are the first thing squeezed on a tight quote.
Before you quote
- Survey above ceilings and into risers before quoting.
- Agree cable routing and who patches, in writing.
- Quote programming and commissioning as their own line.
Questions
About this calculator
Why do security quotes vary so much for the same equipment?
Because the labour depends on the building rather than the device count. Accessible ceilings and a clear path to a riser make wiring quick, while firestopped walls, masonry, steel framing and closed ceilings can multiply the hours for an identical camera or sensor count.
Will cables be visible?
It depends what the building allows, and it is worth agreeing before work starts. Concealed cabling needs a route, and where none exists the options are opening and patching walls or using surface trunking. A customer expecting invisible cabling and getting trunking has a legitimate complaint.
Is programming included in an installation quote?
It should be a visible line rather than assumed, because configuring zones, users, timings and reporting, then testing every device, is real hours. It is also the first thing compressed on a cheap quote, which is why some systems arrive with devices that were never properly commissioned.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $115.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 8 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $115 |
| Parts and materials | $900 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,915 |
| Labour | $920 |
| Before tax | $1,915 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,915: $920 of labour, $900 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $58 | $1,459 |
| $86 | $1,683 |
| $115 example above | $1,915 |
| $173 | $2,379 |
| $230 | $2,835 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 8 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $115.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.