Planning a smart home renovation? This guide covers retrofit costs by room and whole-house rewire pricing — smart lighting, Cat6 structured cabling, WiFi access points, smart sockets, switches and dimmers. From £500 for a single room to £5,000+ for a full retrofit, with real 2026 UK pricing from working electricians.
Free for 7 days · No charge until day 8 · Cancel anytime · Used by 1,000+ UK electricians
Written and reviewed by Andrew Moore, founder of Elec-Mate, against BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, IET Guidance Note 3 and the IET On-Site Guide.
Smart home wiring and installation typically costs £500–£1,200 for a basic setup (smart switches in the main rooms of a 3-bedroom house), £1,500–£3,000 for a mid-range retrofit adding smart sockets, a hub and Cat6 to key rooms, and £3,000–£5,000+ for a comprehensive whole-house system with structured cabling and WiFi access points. Retrofitting an existing property adds roughly 30–50% over wiring during a new build or rewire.
The main cost driver is the labour to route cables and make good — not the smart devices themselves.
1,000+
UK electricians
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer — DP Electrical
Smart home technology has moved from niche to mainstream. Homeowners want app-controlled lighting, voice-activated switches, whole-house WiFi, and automated heating — and they need electricians to install the wiring that makes it work reliably.
The cost of smart home wiring varies enormously depending on scope. A single room with smart switches might cost £500. A whole-house system with structured Cat6 cabling, ceiling-mounted WiFi access points, smart switches in every room, and a centralised hub can exceed £5,000.
This guide breaks down the costs by system type, explains the difference between retrofit and new-build pricing, and covers the regulatory requirements under BS 7671 and Part P.
Every key change in the 2026 amendment on one page. AFDDs, TN-C-S protection, new schedule columns, model forms. Pinned on your van dash.
The following table shows typical all-in costs (materials and labour) for smart home wiring projects in UK residential properties.
Smart lighting — single room
3–4 smart switches/dimmers, possibly neutral wire retrofit
£300 – £600
Smart lighting — whole house
10–15 smart switches, possible neutral retrofits, hub
£1,000 – £2,500
Cat6 structured cabling — per room
Double Cat6 outlet, cable to patch panel, termination
£120 – £200
Whole-house Cat6 + WiFi APs
Cat6 to every room, patch panel, 3–4 ceiling WiFi access points
£1,500 – £3,000
Comprehensive whole-house smart system
Cat6, WiFi APs, smart switches, smart sockets, hub, commissioning
£3,000 – £5,000+
WiFi access point (materials only)
Ceiling-mounted PoE access point (e.g. Ubiquiti, TP-Link)
£80 – £150
Prices for retrofitting into existing properties are typically 30% to 50% higher than new-build first-fix pricing because of the additional labour for cable routing through finished walls and ceilings, and the cost of making good after installation.
Smart lighting is the most popular smart home upgrade because it is visible, practical, and relatively affordable. There are two main approaches:
Replace the existing wall switch with a smart switch or dimmer that connects to WiFi or a proprietary hub. The existing light fittings and bulbs remain unchanged. This is the preferred approach for electricians because it uses standard wiring and does not require the homeowner to buy special bulbs. Trade price for a smart dimmer switch ranges from £25 to £60. Installation labour is £30 to £50 per switch, plus £30 to £60 per switch if a neutral wire needs retrofitting.
Smart LED bulbs and downlights connect to WiFi or a hub (such as Philips Hue Bridge) and are controlled via an app. They offer colour changing (RGB) and tuneable white temperature. Smart fire-rated LED downlights with IP65 rating and RGB+CW capability are available from approximately £20 to £60 each at trade price. The existing switch stays in place but must be left on permanently. This approach is suitable for feature lighting but less practical for general room lighting where wall switch control is expected.
For most residential installations, smart switches combined with standard dimmable LED downlights provide the best balance of cost, reliability, and usability. The switch works as a normal switch for family members who do not use the app, while still enabling smart features for those who do.
Smart sockets allow homeowners to control individual outlets via an app or voice assistant. They are useful for lamps, heaters (with safety interlocks), Christmas lights, and appliances that need scheduling.
Structured cabling is the backbone of a reliable smart home. WiFi alone is not sufficient for homes with many smart devices, 4K streaming, home offices, and CCTV cameras. A properly installed Cat6 network provides the permanent infrastructure that supports current and future technology.
A typical structured cabling installation for a 3-bedroom house includes 8 to 12 Cat6 runs (two per bedroom, two in the living room, two in the home office, plus WiFi AP locations), a 24-port patch panel, a PoE network switch, and 3 ceiling-mounted access points. Total materials cost: £400 to £700. Total installed cost including labour: £1,500 to £3,000.
Segregation requirement: Data cables (Cat6) must be run in separate containment from mains power cables. Data and communications cabling is a Band I circuit and mains power is Band II — running both in the same trunking or conduit is a common on-site mistake and a breach of the segregation requirement in OSG 9th Ed (A4) Reg 7.4.1 (Segregation of Band I and Band II circuits). Use dedicated data trunking or conduit, or maintain the separation distances specified by the containment manufacturer.
Pro tip — RCBOs per lighting zone: Multi-zone smart lighting installations create many independent lighting circuits. Protecting these with a single upstream RCD means that one faulty smart switch or driver can trip the whole lighting ring. BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 Reg 531.3.2(b) specifically highlights the use of RCBOs for individual final circuits in residential premises to minimise unwanted tripping. Specify one RCBO per smart lighting circuit — the modest extra cost avoids call-backs and nuisance trips.
Professional quotes with the remedial estimator, then invoice from your phone the moment the work is done. From £6.99/mo.
Try the quoting tools free
Homeowners often ask whether they should wire the entire house at once or start with one or two rooms. The answer depends on budget, property type, and whether any major works are planned:
Installing structured cabling and smart switch wiring during a new build or full rewire is significantly cheaper because cables are run before plastering. First-fix cabling adds approximately £1,500 to £2,500 to a standard rewire. The infrastructure is future-proof and consistent throughout the property. This is the recommended approach whenever major works are already planned.
For existing properties where no rewire is planned, a room-by-room approach spreads the cost and minimises disruption. Start with the most-used rooms (living room, kitchen, master bedroom) and add rooms over time. Each room can be completed in half a day. The downside is higher per-room cost (no economies of scale) and potential inconsistency between rooms if different products are used.
For electricians, whole-house installations are more profitable per job and provide a better client experience. Advise clients undertaking renovations to include smart wiring in the scope — the incremental cost is small compared to the overall renovation budget.
Smart home wiring work falls under the same regulatory framework as any other domestic electrical work in the UK:
Smart home installations represent a growing and profitable revenue stream for electricians. The average smart home project is worth £1,500 to £5,000 — significantly more than a standard rewire on a per-day basis. Clients who invest in smart home technology tend to be willing to pay for quality workmanship and professional advice.
Size dedicated circuits for smart home equipment racks and PoE switches with the cable sizing calculator. Verify voltage drop on longer Cat6 PoE runs.
Create detailed, itemised quotes for smart home installations with Elec-Mate's quoting app. Smart switches, Cat6 cable runs, access points, patch panels, labour, testing — all priced with your margins. Professional PDF sent to the client on site.
Complete the Electrical Installation Certificate after commissioning the smart home system. AI board scanning, voice test entry, and instant PDF export. Issue the certificate to the client on the day of completion.
Smart home wiring costs from £500 (single room) to £5,000+ (whole house). Compare labour rates, cable specifications, and BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 compliance for accurate project quotes.
Try it free for 7 daysVerified reviews from the UK App Store.
Elec-Mate is my go to app for business and electrical work. It's feature rich without feeling cluttered. A true all in one app for quotes, certs, calculations, RAMS, EICRs, and more. I use it every day without fail, and it makes my workflow much smoother since I'm not jumping between apps anymore. The price-to-feature ratio is excellent. Any issues I've had, the developer responds within the hour and usually fixes them the same day. 100% recommend.
I've used the app and the web based version for a while now and it's well worth the investment. If you're an apprentice or experienced Spark give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
I've been using Elec-Mate for a while now, and honestly, it's one of the best apps I've ever downloaded. Every aspect of it feels thoughtfully designed, from the clean and intuitive interface to the powerful features that make everything so easy to manage. It's clear that a lot of care and attention went into building this app, and it shows in every detail.
Real feedback from real sparks
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer
Sole Trader · DP Electrical
“I've won two contracts this month because I could turn quotes around same-day with the AI cost engineer.”
Nathan Perry
Electrician · NP Electrical Services
“The study centre got me through my AM2. Mock exams and flashcards are brilliant.”
Jake Pizey
3rd Year Apprentice · Apprentice
Join 1,000+ UK electricians using Elec-Mate for cable sizing, professional quoting, and on-site certification. 7-day free trial, cancel anytime.
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer, DP Electrical
From £6.99/mo after trial — less than a coffee a week
We use cookies to improve the app and measure what works. Cookie Policy