How Much Do Electric Gates Cost?
One common question we get asked is how much do electric gates cost? Depending on how much you use your electric gate and how much electricity costs in your area, the total cost of the bill will vary between households.
For example, let's assume that your electricity cost is 15p per kWh.
When it’s on standby mode, your electric gate will consume around 100 watts per day. If the gates are active, they can use up to around 700W. However, it’s only for around 20 seconds towards each direction, meaning it will add up 0.2p to your energy bill for every cycle of your gates. Domestic gates are usually opened up to 15 times a day, meaning they will cost 3p based on the quotes above.
According to the figures above, the cost of opening electric gates for up to 15 times a day in one year can cost around £15-16. However, please remember that 15 times a day is extremely frequent for residential driveway gates.
The Cost of Maintaining Electric Gates
The majority cost of upkeep will result from maintenance visits. These costs will vary depending on the location of the gate engineer and the gate systems. As with your vehicle, electric gates require routine maintenance to prolong their working life and to ensure reliable operation.
Some companies will charge you a basic cost for routine maintenance visits to check the status of the gate system and then give you quotes for any repair works needed. Other companies will provide you with a comprehensive maintenance contract that includes the replacement parts, but these are often more expensive. These contracts include a guarantee for their work.
Most manufacturers of electric gate systems offer a guarantee of their products. You need to hire installers who purchase their replacement parts from reputable shops in the UK to ensure the guarantees are honoured. When checking this information with your gate engineer, make sure you check if their labour is part of the guarantee they offer you.
Ask NE Driveway Gates today about our gate maintenance services.
The Cost of Installing Electric Gates
The cost of installing electric gates depends on the type of gates and groundwork. Groundwork includes the drainage provision, underground motor installation, costs and pillars.
You may think that you will spend less by installing sliding gates since they only have a single motor. What you should realise is that you'll need a track to get laid for the motor to move along. This requires specialist groundwork which evens the cost of installing these simpler systems and that for swing gates.
When it comes to installing swing gate rams, the cost is a bit more expensive than that of articulated arm motors since careful alignment is needed for the former.
If you choose underground motors, you’ll have to spend more. They need careful alignment since the motor forms the gate's bottom hinge. They need holes in the ground for drainage and mounting. If you fail to provide sufficient water drainage, the motors can be submerged in water, which is one reason that can make them fail. In-post systems are in most cases the most expensive. They have to be installed with the posts or gate pillars.
The Cost of Gate Automation
Generally speaking, the cost of game automation systems increases in the following order.
- Sliding gates
- Articulated arms
- Rams
- Undergrounds
- In-post systems
