Having lights around your home will increase your security. Opportunist thieves and burglars rely on the dark so as not to be seen.
If your home has a well-lit exterior, it will be a deterrent to unwanted visitors.
You can also use exterior lights to show off your garden and installing lighting on the patio or decking gives you the option to stay outdoors for longer.
In this guide, we’ll give you average prices to install several types of exterior lighting. You can find out what affects the cost of exterior lighting installation and how you can save money.
We’ll also advise you about what’s involved in installing exterior lights and how to find and hire an electrician for the job.
At the end of the guide, you’ll also find answers to some common frequently asked questions.
Topics
How Much Does It Cost to Install Exterior Lights?
The table below gives you the average costs for an electrician to install standard and motion sensor exterior lighting.
| Service | Estimated Cost | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| Replace an existing exterior light | £30 to £110 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Install new PIR motion sensor light | £60 to £165 | 2 to 3 hours |
| Install new PIR sensor motion light with new wiring | £70 to £200 | 2 to 3 hours |
| Install garden or landscape wiring | £120 to £440 | 4 to 8 hours |
As demonstrated, costs start at £30 to replace an existing exterior light and increase to £440 to install garden or landscape lighting.
Electricians typically charge between £30 and £55 an hour. Small jobs may have a minimum call-out charge which could be as much as £50.
When you want to find a local electrician, use HouseholdQuotes.
Simply fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need. We’ll then find you electricians to give you no-obligation quotes for your exterior lighting installation.
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Installing an Outside Light?
Several factors will impact the overall cost of installing an outside light on your property.
Number and Choice of Fixtures
If you want exterior lights in your garden and on your patio or deck, make a plan of your garden and then decide where your lights need to go as well as the type of light you want to be installed.
If, for example, you only want a porch light installed to replace a broken one, as per our table, you can see that the costs will be between £30 and £110. It could be that because of the small job scope, the electrician will add on a call-out charge which could be as much as £50.
If, however, you want exterior lights around the house and the garden, you’ll pay more for the work in total, but possibly less per light. Installing landscape or gardening lighting will cost on average between £120 to £440.
You may decide you want to change your standard bulbs for Smart Lighting. The light will then work from an app on your phone or a voice-activated device like Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Bulbs cost between £15 to £50 depending on the type and colour you choose.
Installation of Security Lights
Security lights deter thieves who depend on the dark. You can have security lights put in your doorway and around your home.
They are also useful outside your front door because at darker periods you can see to put the key in the lock without having to fumble around.
There are various types of security lights. Some lights can be controlled by a switch from inside your home.
Others contain motion sensors that come on when a person or an animal passes the sensor. Others are designed to come on at dusk and go off again at dawn.
Motion Sensor Lights
These lights have an infrared sensor that comes on when something passes the light. It saves energy because it isn’t on the whole night, but it will come on even if animals pass through.
If you get foxes and cats roaming around, the light will go on and off throughout the night.
If you install a motion sensor light, you can expect to pay between £60 and £165.
Led Floodlights and Spotlights
These lights can be used as security lighting and to highlight your garden. You can control them from inside your home or have them on a dusk to dawn timer.
Dusk till dawn lights will cost more to run because in the winter it gets dark earlier so the lights will be running for around 15 hours.
If you have lights installed in your garden costs will be between £120 and £440 depending on the number of lights you have installed.
Solar Lights
Solar lights get their power from sunlight, so there are no installation costs or electricity charges. They come on when it is dark and should stay on the whole night.
They are used more for decorative purposes rather than security. You can buy solar powered flood lights for around £30 each.
Electrical Work
If the electrician is replacing old lighting, then the wiring will already be in place. If there are no lights, then the wiring must be installed from scratch.
Some outdoor lighting may be quite far from the house and so need transformers to ensure they have enough power.
This type of work will add time to your quotation. An electrician typically charges between £30 and £55 per hour.
Location
Where you live will also determine the price you pay for services. An electrician in the North of England is likely to charge around the £30 an hour mark.
Electricians in London and the South East will charge an average of £55 or more.
How Can I Save Money on Exterior Lights?
Look in specialist gardening and lighting shops, especially when they have sales. You can also search for lighting shops on the internet.
A retailer who doesn’t have a physical shop may be cheaper because they don’t have the overheads a physical shop owner has.
You can also look for second-hand lighting on websites like Gumtree and Preloved. A lot of people install motion sensor lights and then don’t like the fact they turn on even when an animal like a cat, walks past the sensor.
They end up selling lights that they haven’t owned for long and could be an opportunity for you to find your own at a reduced price.
HouseholdQuotes can help you find electricians quickly. Our quick and easy search function will find you local electricians to give you no-obligation quotes for exterior lighting installation.
Click To Get QuotesWhat’s Involved in Installing an Exterior Light?
Firstly, they will turn the electricity off and do a test with a voltage tester to make sure the supply has been cut off.
They’ll mark the wall where the lamp is to be installed.
They’ll then drill a hole in the wall, put in some plastic conduit and feed the electric cables through the hole.
Once this is done they’ll take the cables cores and connect them to the terminals. This will be done within the unit or to flex cores with strip connectors.
Wrapping the connectors in PVC will keep them damp proof.
The light will be fixed onto the wall and any gaps sealed with silicone so that moisture can’t get through.
They’ll then run the light supply wires inside the house and back into the lighting circuit and install the switch for the light.
They’ll run two core and earth wires back to the consumer box and double-check the power is off using a voltage tester.
They’ll then connect the exterior lighting cables in the consumer box and put in the light bulb.
The final step is to turn the electricity back on and test again with a voltage tester to make sure the light works!
How Do I Find and Hire an Electrician?
Ask your friends and family first if they know of an electrician they can recommend. Asking at work is also a good idea!
If someone has had work done recently, they might be happy to recommend the electrician.
An easy way to find and hire electricians is to use HouseholdQuotes. You simply fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need.
We’ll then find electricians in your area to give you no-obligation quotes for exterior lighting installation.
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
Use the questions below to make sure your professional is up to the job:
- Have you done a lot of this type of work? If you want someone with plenty of experience this question will help you to make up your mind. Or you might decide to give someone who is just starting out the opportunity to gain more experience.
- Are you a member of any trade associations? Trade associations will only grant membership to tradespeople with a good work record. They should also have a high standard of workmanship. Electricians could be members of the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA).
- Are you a member of the Competent Persons Scheme? Members of the competent persons’ scheme are authorised to provide you with a certificate of completion instead of a building control inspector.
- Do you have a website? It isn’t necessary to have a website, but they are useful. Most websites have photographs of previous jobs and testimonials from customers. If they don’t have a website, ask if they have a portfolio with customer feedback and photographs.
- Can you show me your public liability insurance? A tradesperson needs to have public liability insurance. If any accidents occur as a result of the electrical work, this insurance will deal with any damage or injury claims.
Lights offer security and aesthetics around your home and garden. Functional lighting is necessary for security purposes.
You’ll not only feel safe leaving and entering your home after dark, but you’ll also be able to spend more time in the garden or on your decking on warm summer evenings.
If you need to find an electrician, use HouseholdQuotes. Fill in the online form and we’ll find you electricians in your area to give you no-obligation quotes for your external lighting installation.
Click To Get QuotesFinal Checklist
Use the below checklist to make sure you’ve got everything ready to hire the best professional for your installation job:
- Decide how many lights you need
- Draw up a plan of your garden so you know where the lights should be placed
- Decide what type of lights you want (security, spotlights, uplights, wall lights)
- Do some pricing research and buy your lights
- Get quotes from electricians in your area (HouseholdQuotes can help you with this)
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
Do I Need Planning Permission or Building Regulation Approval From External Lighting?
Your work will be inspected before it is signed off.
If you use an electrician, use one that is with the competent person scheme. Competent person scheme members are approved to supply you with a certificate without an inspection from building control when the work is completed.
To find out about the building regulations around external lights, contact your local authority building control department. They will explain what you need to do to comply with the regulations.
What Voltage Do You Need for Exterior Lights?
If the lights are wired from the house a transformer will reduce the 120-volt household current to 12-volts which is safer.
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House?
A 3-bedroomed property will cost between £3,000 and £4,500.
A 5-bedroomed property will have an average cost of between £4,400 and £6,500.
To read more about rewiring costs, have a look at this guide from HouseholdQuotes.
How Much Do Electricians Charge for Other Jobs?
Household owners are recommended to have an assessment every 10 years. They are also used by people buying older homes or landlords who want to rent out a property.
Prices start at around £120 for a one-bedroomed flat. You can expect to pay between £200 to £250 for a three or four-bedroomed house and £300 for houses with five-bedroom houses or more.
Installing a consumer unit is another charge. New consumer units feature circuit breakers, so they are safer than old-style junction boxes.
You will pay between £300 and £450 to install a new consumer unit.
Emergency call-out fees can also be applicable depending on the work.
If your electricity suddenly fails then you will want an electrician to come to your home quickly. This means you will need to pay an electrician’s emergency call-out fee.
You should expect to pay between £45 and £85. You’ll pay more in London, and the South East of England where the price of an emergency call-out could be as much as £100.
PAT Testing is a service for business owners who want to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and have their electronic equipment visually checked and tested for any faults.
Security lighting charges depends on the number of lights you have installed. If you have one PIR motion sensor light it will cost on average, between £60 and £165 to install.
You can buy a PIR motion sensor light from a DIY or lighting store for between £15 and £70. To find out more information about electricians charges, have a look at this guide.