Installation, operation and expansion: electronic access control has costs attached to every stage of its lifetime. But these costs are not fixed. According to Assa Abloy, choosing wireless over wired locking can play an important role in reducing energy use — and therefore expenditure.
Savings begin at the very start. The installation stage is the largest contributor to potential cost saving when businesses choose wireless access control. In calculations for one costings report, Assa Abloy experts examined projected costs for a 100-door installation. Labour savings for those who chose wireless versus wired locks were 82.5%, mainly because wireless installation is much faster, and it is also less intrusive. Most wireless locks require little or no drilling around the door, whereas wired access control needs cabling through and partly around a door — which means specialist electrical installers, too.
By choosing a wireless solution, organisations also upgrade building security without inconveniencing staff or disturbing everyday work routines. There are also cost savings during use: less energy, better sustainability and performance. Battery-powered locks use less energy than traditional wired locks, which normally work via magnets connected permanently to electricity. Wireless locks work differently. They only “wake up” when presented with a credential, to make an access decision. And according to the Assa Abloy study, this translates to an additional saving on energy costs of more than 70%, or thousands of euros over a typical access control solution’s lifetime.
Other related energy and materials costs during use are also lower. In operation, wireless locks only need a change of their standard battery — which may be rechargeable — typically once every two years, and no specialist maintenance is required.
Wireless locks can also add flexibility — and can reduce costs — when an organisation reconfigures or expands its office space. High-quality, innovative wireless locks like Assa Abloy’s Aperio range, for example, can typically be reinstalled at another door without impacting reliability. They move to wherever is convenient.
If a business is rethinking workspace to encourage flexible or hybrid work patterns, for example, cost efficiencies could be significant. The company estimates that typical savings on office relocation or expansion could be around 30% with wireless over wired locking.
