As we near the completion of our build I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the cost of a Loxone home automation system. Few of us like to talk about money, but how do you ever get a handle on what a system might set you back then?
It certainly is a ‘how long is a piece of string‘ question, and of course it depends on the size of your home and the features you require. Loxone does have a couple of helpful things to say on the matter though and in this article they lay out a few ideas for setting a budget…
Generally speaking, you can expect to pay somewhere between 2% and 6% of your property’s value on a smart home installation.
and…
A smart home installation will generally cost around the same as a kitchen.
So if you spend £10K on a kitchen in your 3 bed semi, then your Loxone system might be around the same price. Likewise if you have a £100K kitchen in your 10 bed McMansion then you could spend a similar sum on a comprehensive system too.
They also advise that…
As a general rule of thumb, we usually say that you’ll need to double your electrical installation budget if you’re looking to go from conventionally wired lighting, heating and a burglar alarm to ‘smart’ versions of each with Loxone.
Of course these are only guidelines and you could spend much less, or much more.
Plus & Minus
Remember to also take into account the areas that you would normally be paying for in a traditional build that will be covered in your smart home budget instead…
For example, you may have already factored in the cost of motion sensors and keypad from an alarm budget, wiring for lighting in the electrical budget, valve actuators and thermostat in the heating budget, etc. Seeing as these items would be part of a Loxone parts list, the costs are not over-and-above what you may have already set aside.
Value
Ultimately only you can decide the value of a home automation system in your own home.
But remember, unlike DIY systems, a proper professionally installed home automation system should add to your property’s value when the time comes to sell.
