Security Light Installation Costs UK — What Electricians Charge to Fit PIR Floodlights in 2026

Types of Security Light and What They Mean for the Job

Before you can price the job you need to know what the customer actually wants fitted. The fitting type affects both the unit cost and the work involved — a budget PIR floodlight and a camera-integrated light are very different installations even if they go on the same wall.

LED PIR Floodlight

The bread-and-butter security light. A LED floodlight with a built-in PIR (passive infrared) sensor switches on when it detects movement and switches off after a set time. Modern LED units have largely replaced the old halogen floodlights — they draw far less power, run cooler and last for years. Budget units start around £15–£30, with better-quality 20W–50W fittings from brands like Knightsbridge, Timeguard or Zinc running £40–£90. Output is measured in lumens rather than watts now; a 30W LED gives roughly 2,500–3,500 lumens, plenty for a driveway or back garden.

Dusk-till-Dawn Lights

These use a photocell rather than (or as well as) a PIR, so the light comes on at dusk and stays on through the night, or runs at low level and brightens on movement. They suit porches, pathways and entrances where the customer wants constant background light rather than purely motion-triggered. The fitting itself is similar in cost to a PIR floodlight, and the install work is the same — the difference is in the unit and how you set it up.

Mains vs Solar / Battery

Solar and battery security lights need no electrician at all — that's their selling point — so you won't generally be fitting them as paid work. They're worth knowing about because customers will ask "why not just get a solar one?" The honest answer is that mains lights are far brighter, more reliable in winter, and never run flat. When a customer wants dependable, all-year security lighting, a hardwired mains fitting is the right recommendation — and that's the job you're quoting.

Camera-Integrated Lights

Floodlight-and-camera combos (Ring, Eufy, Reolink and similar) are increasingly popular. They mount like a normal floodlight but also need a stable wifi signal and, in some cases, a data connection or app setup. These take longer to install because you're not just wiring a light — you're positioning it for both lighting coverage and camera field of view, connecting it to the home network, and walking the customer through the app. Price these higher to reflect the extra time and the support element.

What the Job Actually Involves

On paper a security light install is a small job, but several steps add up — and most of them are about getting the supply and the weatherproofing right rather than the light itself. A typical fit involves:

• Mounting the fitting: drilling and fixing the bracket to brick, render or timber at the chosen height and angle, often above a door or under the eaves.
• Running and connecting the supply: bringing power to the fitting — either teeing off an existing lighting or socket circuit, or running a new cable back to a switched fused spur.
• Adding a switched fused spur: many installs feed the light from a switched fused spur so the customer has a local isolator and the fitting is properly fused down.
• Setting the PIR: adjusting the sensitivity, detection range, lux (daylight) threshold and on-time so the light triggers reliably without false alarms from passing traffic or pets.
• Weatherproofing the connection: using IP-rated junction boxes, glands and outdoor-grade fittings so the connection survives years of rain and frost.
• Working at height: most security lights go up high, so ladder, tower or scaffold access is part of nearly every job.

Adding any new circuit, or a new spur taken from an existing circuit, is notifiable electrical work in the sense that it must be carried out and certified by a competent electrician and meet the wiring regulations. Outdoor work needs suitable RCD protection on the supplying circuit and IP-rated fittings throughout. Build the time for testing and certification into your price — it's not optional and it's part of what the customer is paying a qualified electrician for.

Typical Price Bands with Worked Examples

The single biggest factor in what you charge is whether a usable supply already exists at or near the fitting position. Here are the three most common scenarios with realistic 2026 numbers.

Like-for-Like Swap on an Existing Supply

The customer already has a security light and wants it replaced — the old halogen floodlight has failed, or they want to upgrade to LED. The cable is already there, the bracket position is set, and you're swapping the unit and re-setting the PIR. This is a 30–60 minute job for an experienced spark once access is sorted.

• Like-for-like swap (supply already present): £70–£150 including a mid-range fitting

Worked example: a customer wants their dead 400W halogen floodlight replaced with a 30W LED PIR unit on the same bracket. The fitting costs you around £45, the work is 45 minutes off a stepladder, and you charge £110 all in. Tidy, profitable and the kind of job you can slot between bigger ones.

New Security Light with a New Supply Run

There's no light and no supply where the customer wants one. You need to mount the fitting, run a cable — often back to a switched fused spur fed from a nearby socket or lighting circuit — set the PIR and certify the work. The price is driven almost entirely by how far the cable runs and whether it's surface-clipped or concealed.

• New light with a new supply run / spur: £150–£350+

Worked example: a customer wants a new PIR floodlight on the rear of the house, fed from a switched fused spur off the downstairs ring. The cable runs about 6 metres in surface-mounted white trunking, you drill through the wall, fit the spur, mount the light and test. That's a 2–3 hour job; with a £55 fitting and materials, you quote £240. Push toward the top of the band — or beyond — if the run is long, concealed in the wall, or the access is awkward.

Multiple Lights or a Camera-Light

More fittings means more cable, more mounting, more PIR setting and more testing — but there are efficiencies once you're set up and certified for the job, so two lights rarely costs exactly double one. A camera-integrated light adds network and app time on top.

• Two or three lights fed from a common spur: £300–£600+
• Camera-light needing wifi / data and app setup: £200–£450+ per unit

Worked example: a customer wants two floodlights covering the driveway and side passage, both fed from one new switched fused spur. The cable runs total around 10 metres, you mount both fittings and set both PIRs. That's most of a day with materials, so you quote £420. A camera-light job on top would add the unit cost plus an hour or more for network setup and customer handover.

The Cost Split: Fitting vs Labour

On a security light install the labour almost always outweighs the fitting cost — which is why two jobs with the same light on the wall can cost the customer wildly different amounts. Understanding the split helps you explain your quote and avoid being undercut by someone pricing on the unit alone.

The fitting: a budget LED PIR floodlight costs you £15–£30, a good mid-range unit £40–£90, and a premium or camera-integrated light £100–£250+. Even at the top end, the fitting is rarely the biggest line on the quote.

The labour: this is where the real cost sits. A like-for-like swap is under an hour, but a new supply run with a spur, surface trunking and working at height can easily be a half or full day once you include testing and certification. UK electrician day rates in 2026 typically run £200–£350 depending on region, with London and the South East at the higher end. Price the time honestly — a long concealed cable run is several hours of work no matter how cheap the light is.

What Affects the Price

Two security light jobs are rarely the same. These are the factors that move a quote from the bottom of a band to the top — check each one before you commit a number.

• Cable run length: the further the supply has to travel, the more cable, more clipping or trunking and more time. A 2-metre run is trivial; a 12-metre run across the back of a house is a different job.
• Surface vs concealed cabling: surface-clipped or trunked cable is quick. Chasing into plaster, running through a cavity or fishing cable through a loft and down a wall multiplies the labour — and the making-good afterwards.
• Access, height, scaffold or tower: a fitting reachable off a stepladder is cheap. One high on a gable end or above a conservatory may need a tower or scaffold, adding hire cost and setup time.
• Masonry drilling: drilling through hard engineering brick, stone or a thick cavity wall for the cable takes longer than soft brick or render, and may need specialist bits.
• IP-rated weatherproofing: doing the connections properly with IP65 (or better) junction boxes and glands takes a little longer than a bodged outdoor joint, but it's what keeps the job reliable and compliant.
• Number of lights: each extra fitting adds mounting, cabling, PIR setup and testing, though shared infrastructure brings the per-unit cost down.

Quick Reference: Security Light Installation Prices UK 2026

How to Quote It

The mistake that costs electricians money on security light jobs is quoting off the phone description before they've seen the cable route. "Can you fit a security light?" tells you nothing about the run length, the access or whether there's a usable supply nearby. Always confirm the details before you give a firm price.

• Is there an existing supply? A spare outdoor light point or a nearby socket can turn a half-day job into an hour. No supply means a cable run — establish where power is coming from.
• Where does the cable run? Walk the route. Surface trunking is quick; chasing in or fishing through a cavity is not. Measure the distance.
• How high and what access? Stepladder, tower or scaffold changes the price and the setup time. Check for conservatories, lean-tos or awkward ground below the fitting position.
• What's the wall made of? Soft brick and render drill quickly; engineering brick or stone takes longer.
• How many lights, and any camera? Confirm the count and whether wifi / app setup is part of the job.

Break your quote into a line for the fitting, a line for labour and access, and a line for testing and certification. Customers understand that a qualified, certified install costs more than a handyman bolting a light to the wall — and itemising it protects you when a cheaper, non-compliant quote turns up alongside yours.

FAQ

How much does it cost to fit a security light in the UK?

A like-for-like swap on an existing supply is typically £70–£150. A new security light needing a fresh supply run or a switched fused spur is usually £150–£350 or more, depending on the cable run, access and whether the cabling is surface-mounted or concealed.

Why is fitting a new light more than swapping an old one?

A swap reuses the existing supply, bracket and route, so it's often under an hour. A new install means running cable, often fitting a spur, weatherproofing the connection and certifying the work — that's several hours, and the labour, not the fitting, is what drives the price.

Do I need an electrician, or can I fit a solar light myself?

A solar or battery light needs no electrician — that's the trade-off for lower brightness and winter reliability. Any mains-powered light, and especially anything involving a new circuit or spur, should be installed and certified by a competent electrician to meet the wiring regulations.

Why do PIR security lights need RCD protection?

Outdoor electrical work carries a higher risk of water ingress and earth faults, so the supplying circuit needs suitable RCD protection and the fittings must be IP-rated to keep the connections weatherproof. This is a safety requirement, not an upgrade.

How much more is a camera floodlight?

Expect £200–£450+ per unit. The fitting itself is pricier, and the install takes longer because you're positioning it for both lighting and camera coverage, connecting it to the home wifi or data, and setting up the app with the customer.