Consumption of Alexa and Google Home
We must bear in mind that any device that we have connected to the current will consume electricity, even if we are not using it. It is true that this consumption is going to be scarce, but in the end the sum of everything can make a considerable amount. This is what happens with Alexa or Google Home, that we keep them connected to the light, even if it is in Stand By, and they are continuously consuming electricity.
To find out how much an Alexa or Google Home speaker consumes all year round, the OCU has a calculator that indicates it. It is free, although registration is required. There you will see that having these speakers on stand-by they have a power of 3W and consume approximately 26 kWh per year.
If we transfer this consumption to the bill, we will spend a year approximately €8 at the current price. That is what it costs us to have an Alexa or Google Home speaker on throughout the year, on Stand By waiting for us to give an order to activate some home automation device that we have at home.
Although it is an amount that will represent a very small part of the bill, the fact of having multiple devices of this type can indeed make the sum more important. After all, we not only have connected smart speakers, but also many other devices that may be consuming to a greater or lesser extent even if they are on Standby.
High consumption compared to other devices
According to the OCU calculator, Alexa or Google Home speakers are among the devices that consume the most if we keep them in Stand By. In fact, for example, a television consumes about 16 times less per year if we keep it in standby mode compared to these speakers, so the difference is important.
Other devices such as game consoles, decoders, cordless telephones or music systems also consume less in Stand By. But, as we say, each of these devices will contribute to the bill even if you are not using them. It is what is known as phantom consumption and it should be controlled to try to save each month.
Therefore, as you can see, an Alexa or Google Home speaker can consume around €8 per year with current energy prices. If you have several smart speakers or several devices of this type that may be consuming data, keep in mind that having them always on can mean an annual cost to take into account.
In short, to save on your electricity bill you should take a good look at what appliances you have on at home and consuming on Standby. Maybe there are some that you don’t need that are always like this and you can save money.
