What does Savant home automation cost to install?
- By: Ashley Saunders | Savant
- PUBLISHED: 16th October 2022 | LAST UPDATE: 31st March 2023
After reading our introduction to Savant home automation, you might spot that one key piece of information is missing, the cost. With no price list on their website, it’s difficult to calculate what Savant home automation costs to install.
As buying the equipment is only part of the solution, some might argue that just seeing a price list is misleading. Also, you need to pay for system design, installation, and configuration. These costs can easily account for 50% of what you’ll spend.
Even as a hybrid smart home system, you’ll still require some cables to be laid by an engineer for the wired part. Regardless of whether you opt for a wireless or wired system, you’ll still need an engineer to configure and programme the system.
It’s worth remembering these three elements when trying to calculate what Savant home automation costs. Plus, as they want to ensure you have the best experience, they use a global dealer network and so their devices aren’t available from any retailer.
Thankfully, after some research, we have uncovered a few examples of a Savant price list that gives us a rough idea of the basic cost. So, if you’re wondering about the cost of a home automation system from Savant, we’ll try to help you in your quest!
Disclaimer (of sorts)
Verifying prices has been difficult. And so any figures can only be considered a rough idea. We will reference the website where we found the pricing during this article. However, we can’t say for certain that this is the current device price.
Your local Savant dealer will have an up to date price list and room to negotiate equipment prices based on the number of devices you require and the complexity of your project. So, if you’re serious, book an appointment with your nearest dealer.
Typically, we’d look at the secondary market (eBay, gumtree, etc.) as they can help indicate current prices. Used items generally sell for around 50% of the retail price. However, Savant devices are rarely listed on these marketplaces, making it hard to estimate current prices.
With all of these caveats in mind, you’ll have a better idea of calculating the rough cost of your Savant home automation system.
Does Savant home automation cost a small fortune?
Considering only the equipment cost is misleading, as you also need to pay a Savant dealer to design, install and configure the system. You can’t do these yourself. So, you have to include these costs in your estimate.
If your budget is only a few thousand pounds and you’re happy to DIY install, a Fibaro home automation system will be a better option. The system you install will depends on how you finance it and if you borrow money or only pay cash.
Many looking at installing a Savant home automation system have a budget of at least £50,000. Some will spend over six figures and have a list of requirements to match!
You can get started with a smaller budget and a wireless Savant Host hub, but you’ll be limited to one or two functions in a room or two. Plus, you’d still need to work with a dealer to get your system up and running.
photo by Savant
Essential Savant home automation components (and their cost)
At the heart of every Savant system is a Host hub that controls all of the linked devices such as remotes, lights, AV equipment, and the garage door.
Gateways: £500 – £2,000
These range from £500 to £2,000 according to tym and are the brand’s entry-level hubs. We found UK-based smartU2 selling a Savant S2 Host for £672.
We couldn’t find a price for the Super Pro Host. However, it’s likely to be a few grand.
Software licence: £75 – £1,100
On top of the cost of building a hub, there’s an annual software licence to purchase. They range from £75 to £1,100 based on your system, according to CEPRO.
Remotes: £550 – £1,100
Also, on the smartU2 website, they sell two Savant Pro Multi-room Universal Remotes, each for £1,063. Other companies, including NAVIC sell the standard remotes for around £415.
Touch panels: £830 – £1,100
If you’re looking at installing touch panels, Living Sound + Vision Australia offer a select range of touch screens in black or white. The 5.5-inch model costs £830, and the larger, 8-inch is priced at £1084.
Total
The total cost of must-haves: £1,450 – £30,250
Savant automation cost: lighting
At the top of most people’s wishlist is automating lights. And with the brain in place, you can start to make your home smarter!
GE Bulbs
As Savant owns the GE Lighting brand, they provide a range of bulbs in the USA. Sadly these aren’t available as yet in the UK. That said, you don’t need to use their bulbs with your system as you can automate lights using rack mount modules.
These modules range from £400 to £3,000. Depending on how complex your home’s lighting is, you might be able to use a fairly simple set up with a single control module.
Wired dimmer switches and keypads: £250
Access different “scenes” or options using a Savant keypad. The current range offers plenty of options and is fully customised to your home. Your options range from simple dimmer switches to keypads with buttons for shades, lights and morning sequences.
As a custom product, several sizes (1 to 4 gang) and colours are available. You’ll run out of patience before options!
Total
The total cost of lighting: £2,000+
photos by Savant
Blinds and curtains
Imagine never having to open a curtain again. Life-changing! Crestron offers options to control both curtains and blinds, both as a stand-alone feature and as part of a scene.
Savant sells a range of custom shades designed by J Geiger that start at £2,000 per room, so are comparable in price to Crestron and Lutron blinds. And as with these other brands, you can choose from a range of materials, colours, and fittings.
Total
The total cost of window treatments: £4,000+
Savant thermostat
As Brits, we’re not used to air conditioning! However, a smart thermostat can still provide many benefits.
Smart thermostat: £520
Savant’s multi-purpose Multi-STAT thermostat includes integration with Savant Scenes, connectivity to indoor and outdoor temperature sensors and a premium glass touchscreen. It’s possible to run several units together, allowing you to create a multi-zone system.
Total
The total cost of climate control: £520+
photo by Savant
Savant home security system price
For many, the primary reason for installing a smart home system is security. And while Savant offers a superb range of security features within its software, it relies on 3rd party manufacturers for hardware.
Smart locks: £160
Several well-known brands, including Yale, produce smart door locks that work with the Savant system, and can be opened or closed from anywhere in the world.
Door entry systems: £1,500 – £2,200
Savant offers several intercoms, including a couple of options with built-in cameras.
Security camera: £600
Many third-party manufacturers offer compatible security cameras, including IC Realtime, that integrate with the system and are viewable from anywhere.
Total
The total cost of home security: £4,000+
Pricing a Savant entertainment system
Watch your favourite shows and movies using on-demand streaming. Savant offers a range of AV products that allow you to distribute audio and video to multiple rooms while remaining in full control. Easily build a home cinema or a multi-room audio system or take the TV show with you as move around your home.
Be warned complete home AV systems are not cheap and can easily add up to five- or six- figures. Adding these features could easily increase your Savant home automation costs exponentially, but we’d argue, are worth every penny!
Speakers: £400 – £3,000
A range of in-celling, in-wall, and free-standing speakers are available. So, you can easily add audio to any room.
Amplifiers and receivers: £1,350 – £2,200
Savant’s Audio Matrix supports 20 Zones of Audio, and 32 Inputs for sound. You’ll also need amplifiers to power your speakers, and Savant offers three options.
Video distribution: £860 – £1,100
Choose from several AV matrix devices, that allow you to move video around your home, and in 4K quality. You can also use them to power your home cinema system.
Total
The total cost of an entertainment system: £7,500+
photo by Savant
Working with a professional installer can dwarf equipment cost
Talking about device prices is slightly meaningless as you can’t walk into a shop and buy them off the shelf. Instead, as a professional-level home automation system, you need to work with a highly trained engineer to install and configure your system.
The amount you spend on designing, installing, and configuring your system will depend on how complex you want it to be. In some cases, these costs could easily dwarf the amount you spend on equipment.
Unlike Crestron and Control4, where we could find some basic hourly rates, Savant dealers are tight-lipped on labour costs. So it’s tricky to know how to price this element of the system.
You could pay £500 per day of installation, and then £120 per hour for maintenance and programming. Even with these basic figures, you can being to see how expensive installing a savant home automation system can be.
How to maximise your investment in Savant
Unless you design and install home automation systems for a living, it’s best to work with a dealer. They can help you to maximise your budget, explain the different options and design a system that works for your lifestyle.
Let your dealer worry about getting your Savant system working with Sonos smart speakers or Google Assistant integrated into the system and focus on your family and business! After your Savant system is installed and configured, you’ll enjoy how easy it is to use.
Hopefully, your understanding of how much Savant home automation costs to install in your home is better after reading this article.
