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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Smart LED Bulb in Australia? (2026)
Smart bulbs draw the same as ordinary LEDs when lit, plus about half a watt around the clock to stay connected. Across a house full of them, that standby draw can exceed the lighting itself.
A typical smart led bulb (9 W) costs A$0.003 per hour, or about A$0.47 per month at 5 hours a day in Australia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (5 W) | A$0.002 | A$0.009 | A$0.26 | A$3.19 |
| Typical (9 W) | A$0.003 | A$0.016 | A$0.47 | A$5.75 |
| High (14 W) | A$0.005 | A$0.025 | A$0.73 | A$8.94 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 5 h/day ≈ 16 kWh per year.
In Australia, with electricity at A$0.35 per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, 2026-07), a typical smart led bulb costs A$0.003 per hour and about A$5.75 per year at 5 hours a day. Each A$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 317.5 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a smart led bulb
- Group bulbs on smart switches instead of individual smart bulbs where a whole room switches together.
- Use schedules and dimming. A bulb at 50 percent brightness uses roughly half the power.
- Count your bulbs. Thirty smart bulbs at 0.5 watts standby is 130 kWh a year.
In standby it draws about 0.5 W, which adds roughly 4 kWh (A$1.53) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
Do smart bulbs use electricity when off?
Yes, about 0.3 to 0.5 watts each, roughly 3 to 4 kWh per bulb per year.
Are smart bulbs more expensive to run than normal LEDs?
Slightly, because of standby draw. Dimming and scheduling can more than offset it.
Do color-changing bulbs use more power?
Bright white uses the most. Saturated colours often draw less because fewer LEDs are lit.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India