If you’ve ever dealt with a poor television signal, you’ll know just how important having a working aerial is. Turning on the TV and being met with fuzzy, broken pictures should be a thing of the past – but when you’re not able to pick up even the most basic of terrestrial channels, it can quickly become extremely frustrating.
A temporary solution can be to install an inside aerial into your roof or loft space, but this doesn’t always work as transmissions can be obstructed by your belongings, roof materials, trees and surrounding buildings – which can end up not giving you a solution at all, and just a lot more bother.
For this reason, and to finally alleviate your stress, it’s worthwhile having a roof aerial installed. This can be a simple DIY project, or a more challenging task depending on the complexity of the job – for example, you might just need to fix a new aerial to an existing pole, but you could also require putting in a new pole, as well as cabling, which can be time- and labour-intensive.
In this article, we’ll be covering how much a TV aerial costs, what affects the cost of installing or replacing an aerial, how to save money on installing or replacing an aerial, what’s involved in installing an aerial and how to find and hire someone to install or replace an aerial.
If you’ve put up with a fuzzy TV signal for long enough, keep reading to find out how to get your aerial replaced in the most cost-effective way possible.
How Much Does a TV Aerial Cost?
Luckily, the cost of having a new aerial installed is relatively low.
If you only want the aerial itself replaced, you should expect to pay between £50 and £140 depending on the size of the company hired and the area you live in.
| JOB | ESTIMATED COST | TIME REQUIRED |
|---|---|---|
| Replace outdoor aerial | £100 to £150 | 2 to 3 hours |
| Replace indoor aerial | £30 to £40 | 1-2 hours |
| Install new outdoor aerial | £170 to £220 | 4 to 6 hours |
| Install new indoor aerial | £40 to £50 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Add extra aerial socket | £80 to £120 | 2 to 3 hours |
| Replace TV aerial with dish | £220 to £275 | 2 to 3 hours |
To replace an outdoor aerial, costs can be between £100 and £150, and you can expect this to take between two to three hours to complete.
For an indoor aerial, costs are significantly lower, at £30 to £40, taking slightly less time at just one to two hours.
If you need a new aerial installed outside, you can expect to be charged between £170 to £220, and for the job to take between four to six hours.
Costs for installing a new indoor aerial are between £40 to £50, taking just one to two hours to complete.
If you’d like to add an extra aerial socket to your home, you’ll be looking at between £80 to £120 and labour time of between two to three hours, and to replace your TV aerial with a dish, you can expect costs of £220 to £275 and labour time of between two to three hours for completion.
What Affects the Cost of Installing or Replacing an Aerial?
As you’d expect, there are a variety of factors that affect TV aerial installation costs. It’s important to bear these in mind if you’re working to a tight budget, or just want to get the job done most cost-effectively.
Location
Location plays an important part in how much you’ll be charged to have an aerial installed. In London, you’ll pay more for contractors than in other areas of the country, as is the case with most home renovation jobs.
You should bear in mind that if you don’t have parking at your property you’ll be expected to give your contractors a parking permit for the road for the duration of their work – which can add substantial fees onto what might be an otherwise straightforward job.
The actual site of your house, the local topography and even neighbouring buildings will also affect not only your signal’s strength but whether you’ll need further improvements to get the best transmission, too.
Indoors vs Outdoors
As shown in the cost table above, whether or not your aerial is indoors or outdoors affects the cost you’ll pay.
Outdoor aerials are between £100 to £150, whereas indoor aerials come in at between £30 to £40.
Swapping Aerial for Disc
Understandably, if you’re opting to change a simple aerial for a disc transmitter you’ll be looking at a much higher price than that of simply replacing or upgrading your existing aerial.
For a disc installation, you can expect costs of £220 to £275, depending on your location and the complexity of your specific job.
The Length of Pole
In some cases, you may discover that your TV aerial pole simply isn’t mounted on a long enough pole. However, it’s important to be cautious when taking recommendations from tradesmen as it’s common for contractors to sell new poles as a way to bump the cost of your job up.
To avoid this, take the time to look at your neighbours’ aerials. If they’re all longer than normal, it suggests your area has a problem with poor signal strength and you’ll probably need to install something similar.
But, if everyone has a standard-sized pole, beware of tradesmen trying to recommend otherwise as it may be an unnecessary improvement.
Cables
If you’re having an entirely new aerial system put in, you’ll require new cabling to route the signal from the aerial to your television.
This can be one of the most costly factors. Although the materials don’t cost a lot, cutting holes and running the cables through your house requires skill and that skill will come at a price.
Due to the nature of this, you might also have to do some additional cosmetic redecorating too, which can increase your overall aerial fitting costs in ways you might not initially consider.
Splitters and Amplifiers
Depending on your location, you might not only need a longer aerial pole, but an amplifier to boost the signal.
In addition, if you want more than one television plug-in point, you’ll need to split the cable correctly so you can retain a good signal strength to both outlets. Unsurprisingly, both of these factors will add a little more to your installation bill.
For extras like an additional aerial socket, you can expect to pay between £80 to £120 for the installation.
Installer’s Skill Level
Unfortunately, the TV aerial installation industry is rife with rogue cowboys who will offer you a cheap quote just to get the work.
There are also high levels of up-selling because there’s not a lot of money to be made by simply fixing a new aerial to an existing pole. As a result, you’ll often find that installers attempt to sell you extras, such as a longer pole or new cabling when it’s not necessarily required.
If you’re utilising a professional and well-respected firm, then you should expect to pay a little more. But, with this extra cost, you can at least be confident that you’re using someone who knows what they’re doing and will give you the best signal possible – and not sell you any unnecessary extras.
To DIY or Hire Professionals
Replacing a faulty TV aerial is relatively simple if the cabling and pole don’t need changing over too.
It’s important to remember, however, that this DIY project will require working on the roof of your home and could be dangerous if you’re not careful, or used to working at heights safely.
It’s a good idea to get professional quotes first, find out what the actual problem is, and then decide whether or not you can attempt the job yourself.
If contractors are confident it’s only the aerial that needs changing, then it’s a fairly simple process of buying a replacement and installing it. On the other hand, if cabling, amplifiers and new poles are required, hiring someone to do the work could be a better option.
How Can I Save Money on a New Aerial?
We’ve discussed the ways TV aerials can cost you extra – so for good measure, here are some ways you can drive down those prices.
DIY?
Some TV aerial replacements can be done yourself, especially if they’re inside. This can be an easy way of reducing your costs as this way, you’ll just be paying for the cost of materials instead of labour, too.
Where it gets trickier is if the aerial is in a hard-to-reach place, like on top of your home’s roof. Here, in most cases, it’s best to get the help of a professional to make sure you don’t make any mistakes or cause damage to your home – or yourself.
Do Your Homework
One of the best ways to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible is to simply do your homework and be clued up before reaching out for quotes.
If you know your aerial pole doesn’t need extending, or that you don’t need an amplifier to get your TV signal, make sure you let your contractor know. This way, they can’t up-sell you things you don’t necessarily need.
And, if you do live in an area where these things are necessary, then you can get clued up with their associated costs before gathering quotes. This way, you know what you should expect to pay, and whether a trader’s quote is reasonable or not.
Choose Local Companies
Ever wondered why a large company’s prices are always so much higher than a local merchant? It’s because you’re inadvertently paying for their call centres, showrooms and advertising, too.
With smaller, more local companies, you can make sure you just pay for the service you require – it might mean that you won’t have a 24/7 helpline in case something goes wrong, but it will mean that your initial costs will be much lower – and with something as simple as TV aerial installation, there’s no reason not to choose a smaller trader.
What’s Involved in Installing a TV Aerial?
The contractor will choose a location that’s suitable to receive the best signal, usually 10 to 20 feet off the ground. The antenna will then be mounted to the wall, along with a mast.
Next, the cable is then brought into your home into a room where your TV will be. The connection is then tested on your TV, and all being well, your contractor will simply tidy up and leave.
How Do I Find and Hire Someone to Install an Aerial?
As with all home renovations, your best port of call lies first with friends, family and neighbours – anyone who may have had similar work done recently.
Half of the battle when getting a job done is finding someone reputable, and with word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted acquaintances, you can look to absolve this time-draining activity.
If no one you know has had similar work done, then you can use HouseholdQuotes to help consolidate your search. Here, you can compare lots of quotes from vetted traders to find the right match for you, without having to trawl on several different websites to find what you’re looking for.
Ensuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
Getting a written quote is the most important part of the negotiation – this way, you have something concrete to fall back onto if there are any problems during your job.
Seeking out someone’s experience, as well as related references is a great way to weed out any potential cowboy traders. Remember, anyone can say anything on their website, but the truth always lies in someone else’s verbatim reference of their work.
Finally, you must ensure that the contractor has relevant insurance to cover themselves and your home while they work – if they don’t have this, or refuse to show you proof of it, simply refuse to work with them.
Final Checklist
To rid yourself of bad TV signals forever, make sure your equipment is up-to-date and suitable for the location you’re in. Here’s our final checklist to make sure you cover everything necessary when looking to replace or install a TV aerial:
- Look at your neighbour’s homes: do they have short or long aerial poles or extenders? If they do, there’s a chance you’ll need them too
- Do you need a splitter or extra aerial sockets in your home? If so, where is the best place for them?
- Is your TV aerial interior or exterior? If it’s interior, there’s a chance you can do the work yourself. For anything outdoors, it’s best to hire a professional
- Gather at least three quotes from competing traders and compare their prices using HouseholdQuotes to streamline your search
