Selling a Low-Voltage Company in 2026

“Low-voltage” covers a lot, structured cabling, networking, access control, video, AV, smart-home, smart-building, and the value of a low-voltage company depends heavily on which of those it does and how much of the revenue is recurring. A pure cabling contractor with project-only revenue trades at a modest multiple; a low-voltage integrator with a security/monitoring book, managed services, and a commercial/enterprise customer base trades far higher. This guide covers the multiples, the recurring-revenue and service-mix math, the PE-backed platforms acquiring, what kills deals, and the process.

We are CT Acquisitions, a buy-side M&A advisory firm with buyers in our network actively acquiring low-voltage and smart-home/smart-building integration companies. Sellers pay nothing, the buyer pays our fee at closing. For adjacent verticals, see our guides on selling a security integration company, selling an AV integration company, selling an alarm monitoring company, and selling an electrical contracting business.

What low-voltage company buyers actually pay for in 2026

Project-only cabling / low-voltage contractor

Typical multiples: 3x to 5x SDE/EBITDA. Revenue is mostly one-off structured cabling and network infrastructure installation, with limited recurring monitoring, managed-services, or service-agreement revenue. Buyer pool: regional integrators, electrical contractors adding low-voltage capability, and individual operators (SBA-financed). Multiples reach the upper end when there is a service-agreement book attached, certified technicians who stay (BICSI, manufacturer certs), and a strong commercial/enterprise customer base.

Low-voltage integrator with a recurring base

Typical multiples: 5x to 7x EBITDA, rising to 6x to 10x+ as recurring revenue (monitoring RMR if you do security, managed services, multi-year service/maintenance agreements, software/platform subscriptions) grows as a share of total. PE-backed security and low-voltage platforms, fire and life safety platforms, and electrical-contracting platforms compete here. Multiples reach the upper end when recurring revenue is high and growing, the service-line mix is weighted toward security/monitoring and managed services rather than pure cabling, the customer base is commercial/enterprise/healthcare/government, EBITDA margins are healthy, and there is a density or cross-sell thesis.

The recurring-revenue, service-mix, and customer-mix math

The takeaway: if you do security/monitoring, that book is your most valuable asset, and it is valued separately, not just folded into the EBITDA multiple. More broadly, shift the mix toward recurring revenue, toward higher-value service lines (security, video, access control, managed network), and toward commercial/enterprise customers. All three move the multiple.

The PE-backed platforms buying low-voltage companies

• PE-backed security and low-voltage platforms, private equity has been backing security-integration and low-voltage rollups, building national/super-regional integrators; the security solutions sector has averaged roughly 11.8x EV/EBITDA in deals over a five-year period, and multiple new large-cap PE firms entered the fire and security space in 2024.
• Fire and life safety platforms, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety (which closed roughly 41 acquisitions in 2025) and others acquire low-voltage and security integrators as part of building a fire-life-safety-security-monitoring continuum.
• Electrical-contracting platforms, PE-backed electrical contractors acquiring low-voltage companies to add capability, the trades overlap and low-voltage is higher-margin than line-voltage electrical.
• Strategic acquirers, larger integrators, IT services platforms, and technology distributors acquiring for reach, customer base, or capability.
• Regional integrators and individual operator-buyers, for smaller companies.

Note: several buyers in CT’s network specifically cite low-voltage, smart-home integration, and smart-building integration as target sectors, this is a vertical where we have active mandates.

How to prepare a low-voltage company for sale

• Build recurring revenue. If you do security, grow the monitoring book (valued at a high multiple of MRR). Add managed services, managed network, multi-year service/maintenance agreements, platform subscriptions. This is the biggest multiple lever.
• Shift the service-line mix toward security, video, access control, and managed network, away from pure cabling. Higher-margin, often recurring-attached, more strategic.
• Weight the customer base toward commercial, enterprise, healthcare, and government.
• Retain certified technicians (BICSI, manufacturer certs), put your key 3-5 on stay bonuses pre-listing.
• Document certifications, manufacturer partnerships, and any UL listing (if you run monitoring).
• Clean the financials, accrual accounting, documented add-backs, 2-3 year review, and clearly break out monitoring RMR, managed-services revenue, service-agreement revenue, subscription revenue, and project revenue by service line, with margins.
• Diversify concentration, no single customer, GC, or end market dominating.

What kills low-voltage company deals in diligence

• Project-only revenue with a thin recurring base, no monitoring, no managed services, no multi-year service agreements
• Pure-cabling revenue mix with no higher-value service lines
• High customer concentration or over-reliance on one large GC or enterprise account
• Owner-dependency for key customer relationships, design, and sales
• Technician turnover or worker-classification issues; loss of certifications
• If you run monitoring: overstated RMR, high attrition, or a central station with lapsed UL listing
• Sloppy financials that do not separate recurring from project margin or break out service lines
• Aging installed base on discontinued platforms requiring expensive refresh

The process: first conversation to close

Off-market to PE-backed security/low-voltage platforms, fire and life safety platforms, electrical-contracting platforms, or regional integrators: roughly 90-180 days, days 1-14 conversation/valuation/fit, days 14-30 buyer introductions, days 30-60 LOI, days 60-150 diligence (financials, recurring-revenue and service-line analysis, customer mix, technician retention, certifications, monitoring/RMR review if applicable) and definitive agreement, days 120-180 close and transition. Traditional broker listings take 9-18 months. See our broker alternative guide.

Related: selling a fire protection business, selling a fire alarm company, selling an alarm monitoring company, selling a security integration company, selling an AV integration company, selling a low-voltage company, electrical contractor sale, how PE roll-ups unlock value, private equity value creation, the buyer-paid broker alternative.

The five pillars of how CT Acquisitions works

Frequently asked questions

How much is my low-voltage company worth?

Project-only cabling/low-voltage contractors typically sell for 3x to 5x SDE/EBITDA. Low-voltage integrators with a meaningful recurring base, monitoring RMR (if you do security), managed services, multi-year service/maintenance agreements, software subscriptions, sell for 5x to 7x EBITDA, rising to 6x-10x+ as recurring revenue grows. The biggest multiple drivers are recurring revenue percentage, service-line mix (security/monitoring + managed services valued higher than pure cabling), and customer mix (commercial/enterprise/healthcare/government premium over residential/small commercial). Use our free valuation tool for a sector-adjusted estimate.

What makes a low-voltage company more valuable?

Recurring revenue (monitoring RMR if you do security, managed services, multi-year service/maintenance agreements, platform subscriptions) versus one-off project installation, this is the biggest lever. After that: a service-line mix weighted toward security, video, access control, and managed network rather than pure cabling (higher-margin, often recurring-attached, more strategic); a customer base weighted toward commercial, enterprise, healthcare, and government; certified technicians (BICSI, manufacturer certs) who will stay; current certifications and partnerships; healthy and documented EBITDA margins; diversified customer concentration; and clean accrual financials that break out recurring from project revenue and break out service lines.

Who is buying low-voltage companies in 2026?

PE-backed security and low-voltage platforms (private equity has been backing security-integration and low-voltage rollups; multiple new large-cap PE firms entered the fire and security space in 2024); fire and life safety platforms like Pye-Barker Fire & Safety (which closed roughly 41 acquisitions in 2025) acquiring low-voltage and security integrators as part of a fire-life-safety-security-monitoring continuum; PE-backed electrical-contracting platforms acquiring low-voltage capability; strategic acquirers (larger integrators, IT services platforms, distributors) buying for reach or capability; and regional integrators and individual operator-buyers for smaller companies. CT also has buyers in its network that specifically cite low-voltage and smart-building integration as target sectors.

If my low-voltage company does alarm monitoring, how is that valued?

Your monitoring book is valued like a standalone alarm monitoring company, as a high multiple of recurring monthly revenue (RMR), typically roughly 28x to 50x RMR depending on attrition, contract terms, RMR mix (commercial fire commands premiums), and whether you own a UL-listed central station. That is a much higher per-dollar valuation than your project revenue. So if you run monitoring, that book is your most valuable asset, and you should make sure the buyer values it separately rather than just folding it into a blended EBITDA multiple. Present clean monitoring metrics, total RMR, attrition rate, contract terms, and central-station status.

Should I add managed services before selling my low-voltage company?

If you can build a real managed-services capability (managed network, remote monitoring, ongoing support contracts) over 12-24 months before a sale, yes, it meaningfully lifts the multiple, because it converts project relationships into recurring, higher-margin ones, and buyers (especially IT services platforms and PE-backed integrators) value tech-enabled recurring revenue at a premium. But it has to be real, not a token line item; buyers will scrutinize whether the managed-services revenue is genuinely recurring, growing, and profitable. If you don’t have time to build it, at minimum grow your multi-year service/maintenance agreement book, which is the simpler version of the same idea.

How do I increase the value of my low-voltage company?

Build recurring revenue (monitoring RMR if you do security, managed services, multi-year service/maintenance agreements, platform subscriptions); shift the service-line mix toward security, video, access control, and managed network and away from pure cabling; weight the customer base toward commercial, enterprise, healthcare, and government; retain certified technicians with stay bonuses; keep certifications and partnerships current; improve and document EBITDA margins; diversify customer concentration; and get clean accrual financials that break out recurring from project revenue and break out service lines. The recurring-revenue and service-mix shifts are 12-24 month projects but they move the multiple by several turns.

How long does it take to sell a low-voltage company?

Traditional broker-listed low-voltage companies typically take 9-18 months. Off-market sales to PE-backed security/low-voltage platforms, fire and life safety platforms, electrical-contracting platforms, or regional integrators typically take 90-180 days, because the buyer is pre-qualified and actively looking to acquire in your region, size range, service-line mix, and capability set rather than the broker having to market to a large unqualified pool.

Do I need a broker to sell my low-voltage company?

For smaller owner-operated companies, a traditional broker can work but charges 8-15% commissions. For low-voltage integrators with a meaningful recurring base, a monitoring book, or a quality commercial/enterprise customer base, working with a buyer-paid sell-side advisor that has relationships with the PE-backed security, fire/life-safety, and electrical-contracting platforms often produces better outcomes, higher multiples, faster close, no seller fee (the buyer pays at closing). Some sellers also sell directly to a known platform or strategic acquirer with just a transactional attorney.

Related research

• Free Business Valuation Tool, your business is worth in 90 seconds
• The Business Broker Alternative Guide (national pillar)
• Business Brokers by State, with a free alternative
• The Complete Guide to Selling Your Business in 2026
• What’s My Business Worth? Founder’s Valuation Guide
• Who Buys These Companies? Buyer Types Explained
• How to Sell to Private Equity, A Founder’s Walkthrough
• Owner’s Pre-Exit Checklist, 90 Days Before You List
• CT Commentary, Founder & M&A Insights