Security & low voltage
Security System Cost Calculator
Prices a security system, where the sensors matter more than the panel.
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. A system is a control panel, a keypad or app interface, a communication path, and the detection devices, and it is the devices that determine whether it actually detects anything. Door and window contacts, motion detectors, glass break sensors and environmental sensors each cover different failure modes, and a panel with too few devices is a monitored system that does not see an intrusion.
What moves the number
- Number and type of detection devices, which is the real cost and the real coverage.
- Wired against wireless, which trades installation labour for battery maintenance.
- Communication path, since cellular backup matters when a line is cut.
- Whether the system includes environmental sensors for water, smoke and temperature.
Where this one goes wrong
A system reporting over a phone line or broadband alone can be defeated by cutting it, which is why a cellular communication path is the element worth insisting on rather than treating as an upgrade. Device coverage is the other thing: a panel with a motion detector and one door contact leaves most of the building unmonitored, and the cost difference between a token install and genuine coverage is in devices rather than in the panel. Environmental sensors deserve a mention because water damage is a far more common loss than burglary for most households, and a water sensor is cheap.
Before you quote
- Include a cellular communication path rather than relying on a line.
- Cover the realistic entry points rather than fitting a token device count.
- Offer water and temperature sensors, since those losses are more common.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Can an alarm system be defeated by cutting the phone line?
One reporting only over a phone line or broadband can be, which is why a cellular communication path matters. It is sometimes sold as an upgrade and is better understood as the element that makes monitoring dependable, since cutting a line is the obvious first step for anyone who notices the system.
How many sensors does a house need?
Enough to cover the realistic entry points rather than a token count. A panel with one door contact and a motion detector leaves most of a building unmonitored. The cost difference between a minimal install and genuine coverage sits in the devices, not the panel, which is where quotes diverge.
Are water and temperature sensors worth adding?
For most households water damage is a far more likely loss than burglary, and a water sensor near a water heater, washing machine or sump is inexpensive. Low temperature sensors catch a failed heating system before pipes freeze. Both are among the better value devices on a system.
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.