![How Much Does Home Automation Cost in the UK? [2026 Guide]](/images/brand/c-loxone-app-livingroom-v10.jpg)
Home automation in the UK spans an enormous price range — from a £30 smart plug to a £60,000 whole-house system commissioned by a specialist contractor. Most people asking this question are somewhere in the middle, wondering whether a professionally installed smart home is worth the cost compared to a patchwork of connected devices.
This guide gives you honest ranges, explains what drives the price at each level, and tells you what you actually get.
The four tiers of home automation
1. DIY connected devices — £300–£2,000
This is Hue bulbs, a Nest or Hive thermostat, a Ring doorbell and a Sonos speaker or two. You control each from a separate app (or try to unify them via Alexa). Monthly subscriptions typically run £15–£60 depending on which services you use.
What you get: Remote control. You can turn lights off from your phone. You can see who’s at the door. You can ask Alexa to play music.
What you don’t get: Automation. These devices don’t respond to each other. The lights don’t know the heating is on. The blinds don’t know the sun angle. Each system is an island.
Hidden costs: Ring £2.99–£8.99/mo. Hive £3.99/mo. Nest Aware £5.99/mo. Sonos (currently no sub, but historically has). Over five years: £1,000–£2,500 in subscription fees on top of hardware.
2. Semi-professional / hybrid — £3,995–£12,000
This is where professionally installed single-space automation sits — a Loxone garden room, home cinema or bar shed. One Miniserver, one app, everything in the space running together.
At Westgate we offer three fixed-price tiers for outbuilding automation:
| Tier | Price (ex-VAT) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Soft Upgrade | £3,995 | Basic bar shed or hobby room (~3m × 4m) |
| Lite Upgrade | £6,450 | Home cinema or gaming room (~4m × 5m) |
| Plus Upgrade | £9,995 | Full-spec entertainment space (~5m × 6m) |
Every price includes hardware, installation, programming, commissioning, a customer handover and a 14-day post-install check. No monthly subscription. Ever.
See the full tier comparison →
3. Whole-house professional installation — £15,000–£45,000
This is Loxone — or occasionally Crestron or Control4 — installed across an existing property. One system controls every room: lighting, heating, blinds, multiroom audio, access control, energy management.
Typical price ranges (ex-VAT, Loxone):
| Property type | Typical range |
|---|---|
| 3-bed retrofit (lighting, heating, audio) | £12,000–£20,000 |
| 4–5 bed retrofit (full spec) | £20,000–£35,000 |
| New build M&E (3–4 bed, pre-wired) | £18,000–£28,000 |
| Large detached or period property | £35,000–£60,000+ |
The biggest single cost driver is the number of lighting circuits. Every dimmable circuit requires a Loxone Tree connection, so a 5-bed property with 40+ circuits costs significantly more than a 3-bed with 18.
Retrofit vs new build matters enormously. Retrofitting Loxone into a finished property costs 30–40% more in labour than pre-wiring during first fix — because ceilings and walls need to be accessed and made good afterwards. If your property is being built or renovated, Loxone at M&E stage is the most cost-effective route.
Read more about whole-house automation →
Project-specific budgets differ from whole-house ones. If the work is an extension or open-plan knock-through, a new build or an annexe, the figures start lower because the walls are already open.
4. Luxury / enterprise — £40,000–£200,000+
Control4, Crestron, Savant. These systems offer similar capabilities to Loxone at significantly higher price points, typically requiring ongoing annual service contracts and proprietary hardware replaceable only by the original installer.
Unless you have specific requirements that Loxone cannot meet (rare), there is no functional justification for this tier in a UK residential installation.
What actually drives the cost of home automation
Lighting circuits are the largest variable. Each dimmable zone needs its own Loxone Tree module. A 3-bed property might have 18 circuits; a large 5-bed might have 50+.
Multiroom audio adds £600–£1,500 per zone depending on speaker type (ceiling-flush, architectural, outdoor). A three-zone system adds £2,500–£4,000 to a whole-house quote.
Retrofit vs new build. Pulling cable through finished walls, floors and ceilings takes 3–5× longer than first-fix pre-wiring. Loxone Tree cable is 0.8mm and routes through most voids, but access and making-good still adds significant cost.
Property type. Stone walls, listed buildings and large floor plates all add labour time. We’ve installed in a Grade II farmhouse with 900mm stone walls — the scope and price reflected that.
Third-party integrations. Alarm systems, solar inverters, EV chargers, CCTV systems and AV equipment each add integration time. Most are supported natively by Loxone; some require custom coding.
The subscription cost comparison
Over five years, the “cheap” alternative often isn’t:
| System | Upfront | Monthly fees | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loxone whole-house | £22,000 | £0 | £22,000 |
| DIY patchwork (Hue/Hive/Ring/Sonos) | £5,000–£8,000 | £30–£80/mo | £6,800–£12,800 |
| Control4 / Crestron | £40,000–£100,000 | £0–£200/mo | £40,000–£112,000 |
The DIY patchwork looks cheaper — and for five years it might be. For 10–15 years, with devices discontinued and subscriptions rising, the gap closes. And it never offers true automation.
Getting an accurate quote
The only way to get an accurate home automation quote is a site visit. No installer who hasn’t walked your property can give you a reliable number — the lighting circuit count, cable-routing difficulty and integration scope vary too much.
At Westgate:
- Free site visit, typically same week
- Fixed written quote within 5 working days
- No obligation until you’re ready to proceed
- 30% deposit secures hardware and install dates
Book a free site visit → — we cover Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Lincoln and the wider East Midlands.
Related: Loxone installation cost guide · Packages and fixed prices · Whole house automation
Jack Jones
Director, Westgate Property Solutions · Loxone Silver Partner