How Much Electricity Does Alexa Use?

Have you ever wondered how much electricity does Alexa use while hanging out in your home? We’re all talking with them, asking them to crank up the tunes or getting them to boss around our other smart devices.

So, I experimented with smart plugs to see what’s up with their power use.

Get this – the old-school Echo Dot, the first one that came out, uses less when it’s just sitting there doing nothing. But it can jump up significantly when you get it working, like asking questions or playing music.

Compared to your fridge or washing machine, these Echo devices are low on the power-hungry scale. But don’t forget, we usually leave them plugged in every day.

That’s 24/7 of never-ending energy nibbling. I think about it when deciding how many smart speakers I need – because all that energy use will add up.

Let’s break it down and see how much electricity these Alexa devices use in different scenarios.

How Much Electricity Does Alexa Use In Standby Mode?

Echo devices in standby mode maintain connectivity to execute voice commands promptly, yet they are designed to use minimal energy. For example, an Echo Dot uses around 1.75 watts on standby, whereas the Echo Plus uses about 2.5 watts.

Here’s a quick look at some Alexa device’s standby power usage:

When Playing Music, Retrieving Data And Being Used

Let’s explore how different activities, such as playing music, retrieving information, and general usage, affect the electricity consumption of Alexa-enabled devices.

How Much Power Does Streaming And General Usage Use?

When I ask my Amazon Echo to play music from Spotify, it uses energy to stream the songs from the cloud. Music playing is a frequent task that varies in power draw depending on the volume and device. However, not counting the occasional power spikes, we can estimate that power usage doubles when streaming music compared to the standby energy usage.

For instance, an Amazon Echo Dot, a smaller smart speaker, tends to use less power than the larger Echo Plus. So the 3rd-Gen Dot Echo devices pull about 3-4 watts when playing music, whereas Echo Plus would be close to 6 watts.

Using voice commands to ask for weather updates or the latest news involves data retrieval. It consumes electricity—though generally less than streaming music, as the Echo devices efficiently process these tasks through optimized skills and routines.

The device’s capabilities and smart features are activated with a simple voice command, which uses little power even when the audio is recorded. However, tasks that require continuous streaming or data use, such as playing music for extended periods, can be more power-hungry.

How Much Energy Does Alexa Device With Screen Use?

A device like the Amazon Echo Show, equipped with a screen for video streaming, consumes more electricity than an Echo Spot due to the additional power needed for its display. It consumes 8 watts on average but easily reaches 10 watts during loud video streaming.

However, this consumption is still relatively low compared to other household electronics.

Amazon’s smart speakers and devices are designed to be energy-efficient, and while certain actions like streaming music or video can increase electricity use, they are not excessively power-intensive.

Routine commands, such as playing a specific song or starting a routine to control smart home devices, require minimal power once initiated. These operations involve brief communications with the cloud and are streamlined to ensure energy isn’t wasted.

Energy Consumption Calculator

Before I dive into the details, you must know how the energy consumption of each Amazon Alexa device can impact your electricity bill. While the consumption may seem small, it can add up over time, especially if you have several devices around the house.

Calculating Consumption in kWh per day

To accurately gauge the energy use of an Alexa-enabled device, you’ll need to consider both the idle and active power consumption. Here’s a quick guide on how to calculate the kilowatt-hours (kWh) your device consumes:

Determine Wattage: Check the device’s specifications or the information above for average power draw in watts. For example, a 1st-Gen Amazon Echo uses 2.95 watts when idle, while a 2nd-Gen Echo uses 1.95 watts.
Calculate Idle Consumption: Multiply the wattage by the number of hours the device is idle (usually 24 hours unless you unplug it). Convert this number to kWh by dividing by 1000.
Calculate Active Consumption: Add the extra watts the device uses when active (e.g., listening for commands or playing media) and adjust the calculation accordingly. Double the usage when compared with idle mode. While this is not a perfect measurement, it is accurate enough to get good estimates.

Here is an example:

Idle: 1st-Gen Echo at 2.95W for 24 hours: (2.95W * 24h) / 1000 = 0.0708 kWh per day
Active: If active for 1 hour at an additional 2W: (4.95W * 1h) / 1000 = 0.00495 kWh

Calculating Annual Energy Consumption

Managing the cost of running your Alexa device is straightforward once you know how much electricity costs in the kWh. To figure out the electricity cost, do the following:

Find Your Electricity Rate: Obtain the per kWh rate from your electricity bill.
Multiply by Consumption: Multiply the device’s daily kWh by your electricity rate to get the daily cost.
Estimate Monthly Cost: Multiply the daily cost by the number of days in the month for an estimated monthly cost.

Assuming an electricity rate of $0.15 per kWh, a 1st-Gen Echo would cost 0.0708 kWh * $0.15 = $0.0106 per day, leading to a monthly cost of approximately $0.32. Based on the previous calculation, adding 1 hour of daily activity would increase the monthly cost to $0.34, bringing overall annual energy consumption to around $4.09 per device.

So, if you’ve got five Alexa devices all over your place, you’re considering spending around $20.5 a year to keep them running. This number can easily double if most of your Alexa has a screen like the Echo Show or a much bigger speaker, Echo Studio.

While it’s not a massive hit to the wallet, when you think about it, it does add up to the overall energy cost for something that spends most of its time just sitting there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the continuous operation of Alexa devices impact the electricity bill significantly?

My research shows that Alexa devices, such as the Amazon Echo range, consume minimal electricity when active, typically less than 7 watts. So, despite being operational 24/7, their impact on your electricity bill is relatively minor, often amounting to a few dollars annually per device.

Is there a notable difference in electricity usage when Alexa devices are in standby mode versus active use?

While in standby mode, Alexa devices are designed to use very little power, with a slight increase when active. For example, the Amazon Echo Dot minimises power usage between standby and when responding to voice commands. This difference is small and does not significantly affect overall electricity consumption.

How can users minimize Alexa’s impact on their overall energy consumption?

I recommend minimizing unnecessary Alexa interactions and turning off unused devices to minimise energy usage. Using smart plugs with schedules can reduce power to Alexa devices when not needed. Adjusting settings like screen brightness on devices like the Echo Show can lower energy usage.