Have a quick look around your living room, bedroom, or office. How many devices can you see that are plugged in and consuming power? Go on, count them, I'll wait for you.
I'm guessing that if you are a regular reader of this column, you have quite a few devices plugged in. And of those, I'm willing to bet that there might be a smart speaker in their midst.
I've already looked at how much it costs to charge a smartphone for a year[1], so now let us focus our attention on the smart speaker.
Must read: The 2019 iPhone 11 will be annoying, boring, and expensive[2]
I've got two smart speakers to test – a 3rd-generation Echo and a 3rd-generation Echo Dot.
Power consumption was measured using a WattsUp? PRO[3] power meter.
OK, before I go any further, some caveats. First off, power consumption varies based on a number of factors, one of which being how good the Wi-Fi signal strength is, another being how much you use your smart speaker (I know this is an obvious point, but it's still worth making), and another is how loud the speaker is set to.
First off, I wanted to see how much power the smart speakers consumed while is standby mode waiting to be called to action.
I carried out several tests, and averaging out and then rounding the figures gave the following:
- 3rd-generation Echo: 2.0 watts
- 3rd-generation Echo Dot: 1.5 watts
Given that the average electricity price in the US is $0.13 per kWh[4], leaving these devices plugged in 24/7 for a month or year would cost the following:
- 3rd-generation Echo: $0.19/month or $2.28/year
- 3rd-generation Echo Dot: $0.14/month or