Philips Hue Electricity Usage – How much does brightness and colour change power consumption?
We all know that using LED lightbulbs saves a massive amount of electricity compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
Incandescent bulbs were typically sold in 40W, 60W, 75W and 100W bulbs. Most large B22 or E27 LED bulbs cap out at around 10W and are often rated as 8W or 9W. Therefore, I have never paid too much attention to exactly how much electricity my bulbs use.
However, with energy costs rising exponentially, many of us are considering the running costs of electronics that we once assumed didn’t cost much to run.
I have slowly expanded my range of Philips Hue lighting so that I am now running all my bulbs, except GU10 spotlights, on Hue.
In a lot of homes, including ours, there has been a growing number of lights, it is not just about lighting anymore, but about creating a pleasant ambience.
This is obviously where Philips Hue has excelled. In my living room, I used to have one Philips Hue bulb in a lamp. That has now grown to two lamps, two play bars and the Signe Gradient Floor Lamp. I also had the 2m light strip, which I have switched out for the 65” gradient light strip.
Therefore, all those lower-powered lights could potentially cost a bit to run. But how much exactly?
Three questions I wanted to answer were:
- How much electricity does a Philips Hue bulb use when switched off?
- How much difference in electricity is there with the brightness levels?
- How much difference in electricity is there with the different scenes/colour levels?
I tested various Philips Hue products using an Energgenie power monitoring plug. I doubt it is the most accurate on the market, but the results should give you some idea of electricity usage.
Running Costs for Philips Hue
I have done several posts covering the cost of running appliances. I think everyone has been equally frustrated at the ambiguous price caps that get quoted. With the new Energy Price Guarantee, that price cap is now £2,500 for the next two years. But that’s probably not what you are going to pay.
Ofgem have provided a sample kWh price for users paying on direct debit:
- Electricity:
- £0.34 per/kWh
- Daily standing charge: £0. 46
Based on these numbers, I have added some sample costs of running each Hue product per hour. Again, it is probably not 100% accurate but it gives you a rough idea.
How much electricity does Philips Hue use?
Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Smart Light Bulb
- What's Required? - Nothing! This product works out of the box with the free ‘Philips Hue Bluetooth’ app. Simply screw in your new bulb and connect to the Bluetooth app for in room smart lighting control!
- Designed For Smaller Spaces: With a brightness 800 Lumen, these LED bulbs provide the right level of light that is bright enough to read on the couch, listen to music, or simply relax in your bedroom.
- Play with Colour - Choose from 16 million colours including warm to cool white light to create an ambiance that suits any mood. Play with colour to create the perfect ambiance for film nights, parties, bedtime stories, or to just sit back and unwind!
- Control Lights With Your Voice - Works with all Echo smart speakers/displays and Google Nest devices for hands-free voice control (Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately) is required for Echo 1st Gen and Echo Dot 1st Gen).
- Unlock Your Homes Full Potential - Add a Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately, optional) to your cart and unlock full home control, either when you’re home or away. Sync your light with your music, movies and games.
- Off – 0.6W / 0.02 pence per hour / 0.48p per day
- White @ 100% – 7.3W / 0.25 pence per hour
- White @ 50% – 2.7W / 0.09 pence per hour
- Orange @ 50% – 2.2W / 0.07 pence per hour
- Orange @ 100% – 4.7W / 0.16 pence per hour
- Red @ 100% – 3.7W
- Red @ 50% – 1.6W
- Blue @ 50% – 1.8W
- Blue @ 100% – 2.2W
- Green @ 100% – 2.9W
- Green @ 50% – 1.8w
In the off state, I can’t be 100% if the plug socket is reading some of its own electricity usage or the overall accuracy of the power monitor plug. However, there is a small amount of electricity usage in the off state.
As this was just a single bulb with one colour to select, I manually chose the colour. For the following bulbs, they all have multiple colours to select, so I select scenes instead.
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus v4 [2 m]
- Colourful. Flexible. Powerful - With a simple and easy setup, start adding colour under kitchen cabinets, kitchen islands, bed frames or behind your TV in no time! Shape, cut, re-use or extend your light strip to any solid surface using the adhesive tape and get the flexibility you need. The leftover piece won’t go to waste: use the included connector clip to attach the strip you’ve cut off to another Lightstrip base unit
- What's Required? - Nothing! The new Hue Lightstrip Plus works out of the box with the free ‘Philips Hue Bluetooth’ app. Simply plug in your new LED strip lights and connect to the Bluetooth app for in room smart lighting control
- Play with Colour - Choose from 16 million colours including warm to cool white indoor lighting to create an ambiance that suits any mood. Play with colour to create the perfect ambiance for film nights, parties, bedtime stories, or to just sit back and unwind
- Control Lights With Your Voice - Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit devices for hands-free voice control. Control your smart home indoor lights with simple voice commands
- Unlock Your Homes Full Potential - Add a Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately, optional) to your cart and unlock full home control, either when you’re home or away. Sync your colour lighting with your music, movies and games
- Read @ 100% – 15W / £0.00510 per 60 minutes
- Read @ 50% – 3W / £0.00102 per 60 minutes
- Tropical Twilight @ 100% – 4W / £0.00136 per 60 minutes
- Tropical Twilight @ 50% – 1W / £0.000340 per 60 minutes
For this one, electricity usage is incredibly low, but when you compare it to the brightness of the Gradient Lightstrip, you can understand why.
Philips Hue Play White and Colour Ambiance Smart Light Bar
- SURROUND LIGHTING – Immerse yourself in movies, gaming, and music like never before by syncing your lights with on-screen content in real time (Hue syncing app/hardware and Bridge required)
- WHITE AND COLOUR AMBIANCE – Easily adjust from cool daylight hues that enhance visibility to soft, warmer tones for relaxing; or use vibrant colors to decorate and create ambiance
- FLEXIBLE POSITIONING – Place upright lay flat or mount behind TV; adaptable installation options to suit different entertainment setups
- EXPANDABLE SYSTEM – Connect up to three light bars with one power supply; easily expand your lighting system
- SMART CONTROLS – Control your lights using the Hue app accessories or voice commands via your smart home assistant; matter compatible for use with Alexa Google Home and Apple Home
- Read @ 100% – 6.6W / 0.002244 per 60 minutes
- Read @ 50% – 1.3W / £0.000408 per 60 minutes
- Tropical Twilight @ 100% – 5.2W
- Tropical Twilight @ 50% – 1.4W
These are sold as a two-pack, but the above number is for a single Hue Play, so you will need to double it for normal use.
Philips Hue Gradient Lightstrip for 65-Inch TV
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX - Includes one White and Color Ambiance 65" TV smart led light strip with mounting brackets designed for use on 65 inch TVs; Perfect for immersive gaming and TV watching experiences
- REQUIRES A HUE BRIDGE AND SYNC BOX - In order to have your TV light strip and light play bars sync with movies, music or gaming, a Hue bridge and sync box are required (both sold separately)
- MILLION OF COLORS - The White and Color Ambiance range offers both warm-to-cool white and millions of colors straights out of the box.
- VOICE CONTROL - Convenient smart control; Set up voice control in the Hue app and use simple voice commands to control your lights with Alexa or Google Assistant
- SET UP - Attach TV light strip to the back of your TV with the included mounts, which let you bend it easily around corners.
- Arctic Aurora @ 100% – 15W / 0.51 pence per hour
- Arctic Aurora @ 50% – 3.5W / 0.12 pence per hour
- Read @ 100% – 21.2W / 0.72 pence per hour
- Read@ 50% – 5.9W / 0.20 pence per hour
- Tropical Twilight @ 100% 14.5W
- Tropical Twilight @ 50% 3.5W
- Bright @ 100% 21.3W
Philips Hue Signe Gradient Floor Lamp
- Seamless Blend of Colours - Get a seamless blend of multiple colours of light at the same time in a single living room lamp. The colours flow together naturally, casting light to showcase a unique effect.
- What's Required? - Nothing! This bedroom light works with the free ‘Philips Hue Bluetooth’ app. Simply install your new Hue light and connect to the Bluetooth app for in room smart lighting control!
- Set The Mood With Colour - Transform any room for an immersive entertainment experience, create the perfect atmosphere for a get-together with friends, or complement your home decor. Amp up the ambiance of special moments with the use of dynamic indoor lighting to create the perfect mood in any situation.
- Control Lights With Your Voice - The smart lamp works with all Echo smart speakers/displays and Google Nest devices for hands-free voice control (Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately) is required for Echo 1st Gen and Echo Dot 1st Gen).
- Unlock Your Homes Full Potential - Add a Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately, optional) to your cart and unlock full home control of your LED lamp, either when you’re home or away. Sync your light with your music, movies and games.
- Off – 1.4W / 0.05 pence per hour / 1.2p per day
- Read @ 100% – 27.7W / 0.94 pence per hour
- Read @ 50% – 8.9W / 0.30 pence per hour
- Tropical Twilight @ 100% – 8W / 0.27 pence per hour
- Tropical Twilight @ 50% – 5.7w / 0.19 pence per hour
- Energy @ 100% – 25.2W
- Energy @ 50% – 7.8W
- Spring Blossom @ 100% – 17.6W
- Spring Blossom @ 50% – 7.8W
Overall
The results ended up a bit more interesting than expected. I know Philips Hue has mentioned reduced electricity usage for different hues in some press material, but I didn’t think it would make that much difference.
Similarly, I was surprised at how the power usage scales. The logical assumption would be roughly twice the electricity at 100% vs 50%, but it is considerably more than this in almost all of the scenarios.
Thankfully I never have my living room lights at 100%, and I nearly always use a red/orange/pink hue as it is easier on my eyes. So, my overall electricity usage is still likely very low!
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
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Great information thanks !