Cost guide
How much do fire alarms cost?
A small commercial system is £1,200 to £4,000 installed, and a larger addressable system across several floors £6,000 to £25,000. Servicing runs £200 to £600 a year for small premises.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your home and the job.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Small unit, conventional, two zones | £1,200 to £2,500 |
| Small commercial premises, L4 conventional | £2,000 to £4,000 |
| Addressable system, three floors | £6,000 to £15,000 |
| Communal areas of a block of flats | £4,000 to £12,000 |
| Six monthly service visit | £120 to £300 |
| Panel replaced on an existing installation | £900 to £2,500 |
Get the category written on the quote. It is one letter and one digit, it is the single biggest driver of the price, and it is what makes two quotes for the same building comparable.
What moves the price
- Category under BS 5839, which decides how many devices go in and where.
- Conventional against addressable, which changes the panel and the per device cost.
- Building size, floors and how far cable has to travel in fire rated cable.
- Whether containment exists or has to be installed alongside.
- Interfaces to door holders, maglocks, lifts and plant, each of which is a separate connection.
- Whether the work is done out of hours so a business can keep trading.
Worth knowing
Where there is a carbon fuelled appliance, a boiler or a fire or a flue, a Scottish home also needs a carbon monoxide detector. That one does not have to be interlinked with the fire alarms.
Scottish Government, fire and smoke alarms: the law
Who quotes for it
Questions about fire alarms
How often does it need servicing?
Normally twice a year by a competent engineer, plus a weekly call point test carried out by the occupier and recorded. The weekly test is the part most often missed and the part most often asked for.
My panel is in permanent fault. Is that urgent?
Yes, in the sense that the system is not doing its job while it is in fault. The usual causes are a detector removed and not replaced, an end of line device disturbed by other trades, and batteries at end of life.