Smart bulbs with Wi-Fi have become one of the first options when we start to automate a home. They are very useful since they allow you to control them from your mobile, program when they turn on or off, adjust the brightness… However, an important factor must be taken into account: they constantly need electricity. In this article we are going to talk about the consumption of a light bulb with Wi-Fi even if it is turned off.
A light bulb with Wi-Fi always wastes light
We may think that an off light bulb does not consume light. The truth is that any connected device, even if it is not on or working, will consume minimally. It is what is known as phantom consumption. But also, if that bulb is smart, it will consume more. Keep in mind that Wi-Fi needs power to work.
If you have Wi-Fi-enabled bulbs installed at home, they will need to be active so that you can turn them on at any time, even remotely. Therefore, the Wi-Fi connection will consume electricity, even if it is very little. That minimal expense will allow the Wi-Fi chip to communicate and receive orders.
However, current Wi-Fi bulbs are highly optimized and consumption is really low. We can take a report from Philips for their Hue bulbs, which are very common, as a reference. They indicated that the consumption when they are off is approximately 0.00015 kW per hour.
If we transfer it to the expense on the bill after a month, taking into account a single bulb, we would be talking about approximately 0.11 kWh, which at the current price would be slightly less than 2 euro cents . Therefore, as you can see, the consumption is really very low. Even if you had a house full of Wi-Fi bulbs, it would cost you to spend €1 a month.
Savings with good use
But beyond how much a smart bulb consumes when it is turned off, which as we have shown barely amounts to 2 euro cents per month, it is possible to save money . If we use these devices well, they can mean significant savings on the bill each month and we will notice that.
Smart bulbs can be controlled remotely . This means that we can turn them on and off, but we will also be able to program them so that they only work at certain times or that they do so with a specific brightness. This will make it consume more or less electricity, so it can help us save.
If we have many bulbs of this type at home, even if they have a minimum consumption even when turned off, we will undoubtedly save more by turning them off when we don’t need them or adjusting the brightness to consume less. The ideal is to know how to use them correctly and take advantage of everything they have to offer.
In short, as you can see, bulbs with Wi-Fi are going to consume something even if they are turned off. However, this consumption will not mean much in the bill. In fact, it will be around 2 cents of euros or less per month. You are more likely to save money if you use them correctly than opting for a traditional light bulb.
