Coverage across Hertfordshire
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Hertfordshire vary a great deal, and the right approach to touch-free and push-button activation varies with them. A surgery door used by patients with walking frames needs different settings from a supermarket entrance, so the engineer looks at the actual door first. The towns we list in this area currently number 19.
Towns listed in Hertfordshire: Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Cheshunt, Hatfield, Bishop's Stortford, Borehamwood, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Letchworth, Harpenden, Bushey, Hertford, Rickmansworth, Potters Bar, Berkhamsted, Ware.
What to think about for touch-free and push-button activation in Hertfordshire
- Keep switch heights and symbols consistent across a site. People with sight loss or memory problems find doors easier when every switch is in the same place.
- Clinics and surgeries in Hertfordshire often want touch-free switches on every door patients use. Sealed switch faces that stand up to cleaning products are worth specifying.
- Look at where people approach the door from. A switch that can only be reached once someone is already at the door, or in the leaf's path, is in the wrong place.
- Car parks and drop-off points in Hertfordshire benefit from a switch on a post, so drivers and passengers can open the door before they reach it.
- Shops on high streets in Hertfordshire may want the door to open for customers but not for people walking past outside. Narrowing the sensor field or adding a switch helps.
Touch-free and push-button activation in Hertfordshire: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £145 ex VAT (£174 inc VAT).
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Touch-free switch or push pad, fitted | £145 – £395 | per switch, ex VAT; homes £174 – £474 inc VAT |
| Radio push-button kit | £195 – £495 | buttons and receiver, ex VAT; homes £234 – £594 inc VAT |
| Key switch or programme switch | £145 – £345 | fitted, ex VAT; homes £174 – £414 inc VAT |
| Replacement motion (activation) sensor | £195 – £495 | fitted, ex VAT; homes £234 – £594 inc VAT |
Standards and rules in England
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. Fitting an automatic door helps, but does not on its own guarantee those duties are met.
Building regulations guidance in England (Approved Document M, Volume 2) says a powered opening system should be used where a self-closing entrance door would need more than 30 N at the leading edge to open, or more than 22.5 N between 30° and 60°, and expects external doors used by the public in new buildings to give at least 1000 mm of effective clear width.
Whoever motorises a manual door, or builds an automatic door from separate parts, may take on the manufacturer’s legal duties for the finished door: a risk assessment, a technical file kept available for the authorities, a Declaration of Conformity, the conformity marking and instructions. You receive the Declaration of Conformity and the instructions at handover. In Great Britain a new or converted powered door must meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 before it is first used, and can carry the UKCA or the CE marking.
How it works
- Start with a short enquiry. Use the form, phone or email. Tell us whether the work is a new door, an upgrade or an opener for a home, and we arrange the next step for your site in Hertfordshire.
- Measured survey. The free survey confirms what will fit and what the entrance needs: opening width, door type, activation, safety sensors and behaviour on power loss or fire alarm, matched to how the building is used.
- Written price, no surprises. A fixed, itemised quote sets out the specification, the work involved, the expected lead time and the warranty terms. You can ask questions or change the specification before accepting it.
- Installed and commissioned. The door is installed with as little disruption as possible, then set up and tested for its hazard zones. Before leaving, the engineer explains the controls and hands over the documents for your records.
Tell us which doors need better controls at your building in Hertfordshire, and we will arrange a free survey and a fixed quote for each device.
Touch-free and push-button activation in Hertfordshire: questions
Do touch-free switches work in cold or wet weather in Hertfordshire?
Switches for outdoor use are sealed against rain and rated for outdoor temperatures. In exposed spots, a hood or a sheltered position helps. If a switch is outside, we specify one made for that rather than an indoor model, and check it is easy to see and reach in poor light.
What price range should I expect for touch-free and push-button activation in Hertfordshire?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per switch fitted), the same guide price we use across the UK. For homes that is from £174 including VAT. The free site survey in Hertfordshire confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you supply switches for several sites in Hertfordshire?
Yes. We can survey several doors or buildings and quote each one separately, keeping switch types, heights and symbols the same across all your sites. That makes doors easier to find and use for visitors and staff. Larger orders can be phased site by site.
How long does it take to fit activation devices in Hertfordshire?
Lead time is typically 1 to 3 weeks for the devices. On site, a single switch usually takes an hour or two, and a full set for several doors may take a day. We give the expected time on site with the quote.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Hertfordshire?
It depends on the building. Tenants usually need the landlord's written consent before changing an entrance, and some changes to a shopfront or external door need planning permission. The survey notes anything that may need consent. We can supply drawings and product details to support an application, but the owner or tenant makes it.
How are payments structured for work in Hertfordshire?
Payment stages are set out in the quote before you accept it. Larger or made-to-order jobs may involve a deposit and a balance on completion, while smaller jobs may be invoiced once the work is finished. Nothing is charged for the survey itself, and the terms you accept are the terms that apply.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Hertfordshire?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.