Outdoor Lighting Installation Cost

How Much to Install Outdoor Lights?

Installing outdoor lighting can help improve the security of your home, make it safer, and improve the overall look of your home.

So, how much does outdoor lighting cost?

The average cost for installing outdoor lighting can vary depending on the type of lighting you opt for. For example, you can get floodlights installed for around £80 to £180, or you can get motion lights installed for around £90 to £500. Some more expensive options, such as landscape lights, could cost £1000+.

To give you some idea of the cost to fit outdoor lights to a typical home, you're looking at a price of around £200.

Several factors can affect the overall cost, including the type of lights that are being installed, the number of lights required, the location of your property, and the labour cost of installing outdoor lights.

Outdoor Light Installation Prices

Below is a list of the estimated costs involved with installing different types of outdoor lighting. This includes all of the costs involved, such as the supply costs and the material costs.

Supply Cost of Outdoor Lighting Installations

If you are planning on installing the lights as a DIY project without the help of a professional, then you may be able to save quite a bit of money. However, you will need to consider the material costs. Below is a list of the average costs for materials when it comes to installing outdoor lighting.

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Labour Cost to Install Outdoor Lights & Timescales

So, what is the labour cost to fit an outdoor light?

Most outdoor light installation jobs can be completed within 1 to 2 hours.

With typical rates of between £30 and £60 per hour, the average cost to hire an electrician is around £200 to £400 per day in the UK, with that rising to around £300 to £500 per day for London and the South East.

Most electricians will charge half a day's work at a minimum, so you can expect the labour costs to be around £100 to £200 for installing outdoor lights.

The labour costs will depend mostly upon the level of work that needs to be done, and your location in the UK. As you can see from the figures above, those in and around London can expect to pay more for labour due to increased demand and a higher cost of living.

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Factors That Impact Outdoor Lighting Installer Costs

There are several things that can affect the overall cost of having outdoor lights installed. Let's take a look:

Type of Light

One of the main things that will affect the cost is the type of light you choose and the number of lights you would like to have installed.

For example, if you are working with a low budget, you may want to opt for landscape lights as these can cost as little as £2 each for the light alone. However, some more luxurious options could cost over £1,000, just for the supplies.

Another example of very affordable lights is floodlights. These tend to cost around £4 to £80 each. Spotlights can also be quite affordable. These tend to cost around £8 to £400 each.

Ease of Access

The positioning of your lights may affect the overall cost due to the ease of access.

Depending on where you would like the lights to go, the job may take a longer or a shorter amount of time. This can affect the cost of labour charges, as you will pay the electrician for the time it takes to complete the installation.

Location

The location of your property can also affect the overall cost of the job.

Those based in London can expect to pay more for the labour part of the job, as contractors in that area tend to charge higher prices due to a higher cost of living and increased demand. It's normal to see slightly lower daily rates the further away you are from large cities, with prices in the north of the UK being lower than in the south.

What's Involved in Fitting Outdoor Lighting?

Installing an outdoor light may seem like a simple DIY task, but with electrical wiring, weatherproofing, working at heights, and drilling into external walls, you need to know what you're doing.

This is why most homeowners choose to hire a professional electrician to make sure their external lighting is installed and working properly.

With MyJobQuote, it's easy to get fast, free, no-obligation quotes from local electricians near you – so you can find the best price and the right professional for your outdoor lighting installation.

Once you've hired your electrician, here's an overview of the process for installing your new outdoor lights:

Before the Job Starts

• Initial Assessment – Your contractor inspects the site of your new outdoor light and your existing electrics to determine if new cabling is required, and what drilling or other preparatory work will be needed.
• Measuring & Selecting Fixing Points – To ensure your lighting covers all the areas you want illuminated, the electrician will measure up and determine the precise fixing points.
• Planning the Wiring – Once the lighting location is confirmed, they’ll plan the best way to install the new wiring so it’s both safe and neat once everything is in place.

During the Job

• Drilling & Preparing the Wall – If required, protective conduit is secured to the wall, and a hole is drilled through the external wall to connect the wiring internally.
• Connecting the Wiring – With the power off, the wiring is fed through the conduit or secured along the exterior wall, then connected inside the light fitting before the other end is passed through the wall to connect to the electrical supply.
• Fitting & Sealing the Light – The light is securely fitted in the correct position and sealed to ensure it is fully weatherproof.
• Installing Switches or Sensors – If an indoor switch or additional accessories such as motion or light sensors are needed, the electrician will install and connect these.

After the Job

• Testing the Installation – Once everything is connected, the power is turned back on and the electrician will check that the light, switches, and any sensors are all working correctly and safely.
• Final Safety Checks – After completing their safety checks, the electrician will provide you with any relevant documentation confirming that your new outdoor light installation complies with Building Regulations.

Can I Install Outdoor Lights Myself?

If you want to save some money, you can install outdoor lights yourself as a DIY project. However, you should avoid doing so unless you have experience working with electrics, as electrical work can be dangerous if it isn't completed correctly.

If you're not comfortable installing internal light fittings and fixtures, external lighting will be a challenge, and incorrect installation could lead to injuries through electrocution, or you could put your property at risk of fires.

If you are an experienced DIY enthusiast, you could complete the work yourself. This could save you around £75 to £100 in labour costs.

If you are not confident in completing the electrical work yourself but want to save on some costs, you could complete some of the work, such as drilling the holes where you want the lights to be fitted. This may reduce the amount of time the contractor spends at your property and help you save some money in labour costs.

If you decide to install the lighting yourself, you must ensure that it complies with the current building regulations. For reassurance, it may be a good idea to ask a professional to check over the work when you've completed it to ensure everything is safe and that it complies with building regulations.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Outdoor Lighting

If you plan on getting lights fitted to the outside of your home, unless your property is a listed building, you won't need to worry about planning permission. However, you will need to follow the building regulations.

You should either choose an electrician who is registered with the competent person scheme or make an application to your local authority's building control department or approved inspectors.

You are required to install energy-efficient lighting outside your house in most circumstances, as the general aim is to make buildings as energy-efficient as possible.

To achieve this, recent guidance suggested you should make sure external lighting didn't exceed 150 watts per light fitting, and install sockets that can only be used with lamps that have an energy efficiency level greater than 40 lumens per circuit watt.

You also needed to make sure that the lighting automatically switches off when there is enough daylight, and when it's not required at night.

The latest regulations, however, have updated the energy efficiency requirements for external lighting.

It still needs to switch off automatically when it's daylight, but automatically switching off when not needed at night is only a requirement for lighting with less than 75 lumens per circuit watt efficiency - manual switching is fine for lights over 75 lm/circuit watt.

Types of Outdoor Lighting

There are several different types of outdoor lights that you can choose from.

To help you decide which outdoor lights are right for you, we have created the following list with information about each type and the pros and cons of each:

Motion Sensor Security Light Cost

Most properties in the UK opt for motion sensor security lights as these lights only operate when there is movement around the vicinity of your home. The average cost of installing security lights with motion sensors is around £10 to £50 each, although this can vary depending on the style.

Motion sensor lights are great for reducing your energy bills as they only come on when they need to. However, the only problem with motion sensor lights is that they are hard to control, as they can sometimes come on when it's not needed. For example, if a neighbour walks by your home or if leaves are blowing around.

Pros

• ✔ Low price
• ✔ Energy efficient
• ✔ Provide adequate lighting
• ✔ Come on automatically

Cons

• ✖ Hard to control
• ✖ Not great for if you need lighting for long periods

Floodlight Cost

Floodlights are another very popular type of outdoor lighting. These lights provide a high-intensity broad-beam pathway. The average cost for floodlights is around £4 to £80 per light. However, this will depend on the size and style of the light.

Floodlights are great because they are very long-lasting, especially when they have LED bulbs. They are also extremely safe due to their weatherproofing qualities. This can help to reduce any risks of fire or electrical incidents. Floodlights are not the best for properties with large external areas, as most of them do not exceed 200 watts.

Pros

• ✔ Low priced
• ✔ High intensity
• ✔ Long-lasting
• ✔ Weatherproof
• ✔ Reduced risks of fire or electrical incidents

Cons

• ✖ Not great for covering large areas
• ✖ Multiple lights can cost a lot

Landscape Security Lights Cost

Landscape security lights come in different styles, such as pathway lights, LED ground lights, and decking lights. The price you pay for these lights will depend on the style you choose, and they can range from £2 to £1,000+. A benefit of these lights is that they really light up the outside of your property, making it much more secure and safe.

The downside of these lights is that they can be difficult to install and may increase your electrical bills by quite a lot as there tend to be many lights installed, and they are usually on for long periods.

Pros

• ✔ Many styles available
• ✔ Provide a lot of lighting
• ✔ Increase security and safety of your home
• ✔ Many styles are aesthetically pleasing

Cons

• ✖ They can be difficult to install
• ✖ They can be expensive to buy
• ✖ They can be expensive to run

Spotlight Cost

Security spotlights are narrow beams of intense lights that are usually installed along walkways or exterior walls. These lights tend to cost around £8 to £400 for the materials.

You could even have spotlights installed in the soffits under your roof eaves. Getting soffit lighting installed can be a bit more expensive, around £200 for a modest installation.

The main advantage of these lights is that they are very long-lasting and durable. The only problem with these is that many of them use regular bulbs, which can be prone to blowing, so you may want to pay extra for LED bulbs.

Pros

• ✔ Provide a lot of light
• ✔ Very long-lasting
• ✔ Durable
• ✔ Waterproof

Cons

• ✖ Bulbs can be prone to blowing
• ✖ May have to pay extra for LED bulbs

Solar-Powered Security Light Cost

Solar-powered lights are a great option for outdoor lighting as they use power from the sun and don't require any electrical wiring. These lights tend to be very affordable and cost around £1 to £20 per light.

The main advantages of these lights are the fact that they are free to run and very easy to install. Most people can install these lights as an easy DIY job. On the downside, they have a much lower output, so they don't provide much light.

Pros

• ✔ Low prices
• ✔ Easy to install
• ✔ Free to run

Cons

• ✖ Don't provide much light
• ✖ Must be placed in direct sunlight to work

Benefits of Outdoor Light Installations

There are many benefits to installing outdoor lighting. Below is a list of the main benefits of installing these types of lights at your property:

Increased Safety

Whether on their own or as part of a complete home security installation, exterior lights with motion sensors are great for deterring potential intruders and alerting residents to what's going on outside the property. Outdoor lights are a great way to increase the safety and security of your home, especially when combined with other security improvements, such as installing CCTV.

Increased Property Value

Installing outdoor lighting can actually increase the value of your home, especially if you opt for a high-tech security light installation. This is due to the fact that potential house buyers are attracted by homes that are safe and secure. The outdoor lighting can make potential buyers more inclined to spend more money on the property.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Many outdoor lights offer an aesthetically pleasing look to the outside of your property. The lights can work to light up your garden and enhance the best features of your property, even when it's dark.

Lower Home Insurance

Security lights can reduce your home insurance premiums, especially if you spend a lot on a fancy lighting system. This is because properties with outdoor lights are less likely to be broken into or vandalised.

Checklist: Outdoor Lighting Installation in the UK

You will need to consider a few things before hiring contractors to install outdoor lights for you. Below is a list of some of the main things that you should consider when looking for the right contractors for the job:

• Does the contractor offer any guarantees with their work?
• How much is the work to complete? Ask for a breakdown of costs so you can ensure you are paying a good price for each element of the job.
• Is the contractor experienced in installing the type of outdoor lights that you are looking for?
• How many years' worth of experience does the contractor have in installing outdoor lights?
• How many contractors will carry out the job?
• Will the contractor fix any issues that may arise?
• Will the contractor take care of any relevant waste removal?
• Do you need to hire any additional contractors for different parts of the work?
• Will the contractor follow all of the relevant building regulation guidelines?

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