The short answer is yes, smart lights do use electricity when off, but not as much as when they are on. This is because smart lights need to stay connected to the internet or a smart hub, which requires a small amount of power. However, this power consumption is negligible compared to the energy savings that smart lights offer.
Smart lights are light bulbs that can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app, voice assistant, or smart home device. They can also be programmed to turn on and off automatically based on schedules, routines, or triggers. Some smart lights can also change colors, brightness, and temperature to create different moods and ambiances.
Smart lights work by using wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave to communicate with a central hub or a cloud service. The hub or the cloud service then sends commands to the smart lights to adjust their settings. For example, you can use your phone to tell your smart lights to turn on at sunset, or use your voice to tell your smart lights to dim to 50%.
How Much Electricity Do Smart Lights Use When Off?
Smart lights use electricity when off because they need to maintain a connection to the internet or a smart hub. This allows them to receive commands and updates from the user or the cloud service. The amount of electricity that smart lights use when off depends on several factors, such as the type of wireless technology, the frequency of communication, and the power rating of the smart light.
According to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the average standby power consumption of smart lights ranges from 0.1 to 0.5 watts. This means that if you have 10 smart lights in your home, they would use about 0.1 to 0.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month when off. This is equivalent to about $0.01 to $0.06 in electricity costs per month, assuming the average electricity rate in the US is $0.13 per kWh.
How Much Electricity Do Smart Lights Save When On?
Smart lights save electricity when on because they use LED technology, which is more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. LED bulbs use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last about 25 times longer. LED bulbs also produce less heat, which reduces the need for cooling and lowers your carbon footprint.
According to the US Department of Energy, replacing a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 10-watt LED bulb can save you about $75 in electricity costs over the bulb’s lifetime. If you have 10 smart lights in your home, and you replace them with 10-watt LED smart lights, you can save about $750 in electricity costs over the smart lights’ lifetime. This is assuming that you use each smart light for 3 hours per day, and the smart lights last for 15 years.
How to Reduce the Electricity Consumption of Smart Lights When Off?
While smart lights use very little electricity when off, there are some ways to reduce their power consumption even further. Here are some tips to lower the electricity usage of smart lights when off:
Use a smart hub or a smart plug that can cut off the power to the smart lights when they are not in use. This way, the smart lights will not draw any standby power when off. However, this also means that you will not be able to control the smart lights remotely or use their smart features until you restore the power.
Use smart lights that have a low-power mode or a sleep mode that reduces their wireless activity when they are off. This way, the smart lights will use less electricity when off, but still be able to receive commands and updates from the user or the cloud service.
Use smart lights that use Bluetooth or Zigbee, which are more energy-efficient than Wi-Fi or Z-Wave. Bluetooth and Zigbee use less power to transmit and receive data, and they also have lower data rates and shorter ranges, which reduce their power consumption. However, Bluetooth and Zigbee also have lower compatibility and reliability than Wi-Fi or Z-Wave, which may affect the performance and functionality of the smart lights.
Smart lights are a great way to enhance your home’s lighting and save energy. Smart lights do use electricity when off, but not as much as when they are on. The electricity consumption of smart lights when off is negligible compared to the electricity savings that smart lights offer when on. However, if you want to reduce the electricity usage of smart lights when off, you can use a smart hub, a smart plug, a low-power mode, or a more energy-efficient wireless technology.
