How much does it cost to run a smart speaker? (2026 price cap)
At the GB-average Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a smart speaker rated at 3W costs 0.1p an hour to run and around £2.88 a year assuming left plugged in most of the day.
Per hour
0.1p
Per typical use
0.8p
Per day
0.8p
Per week
5.5p
Per year
£2.88
Typical rating and how we worked this out
This page uses a typical rating of 3W for a smart speaker; published figures for this appliance range from 1.5W to 6W. A smart speaker draws only around 1.5–2W sitting idle and 3–6W while actively answering a question or streaming music, so even left plugged in all day it is one of the cheapest devices in the home to run. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as left plugged in most of the day, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.
Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).
Cost by region
Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:
| Region | Elec p/kWh | Cost per hour | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86 | 0.1p | £3.05 |
| South Eastern England | 26.88 | 0.1p | £2.94 |
| Eastern England | 26.61 | 0.1p | £2.91 |
| London | 26.60 | 0.1p | £2.91 |
| South Western England | 26.58 | 0.1p | £2.91 |
| Southern Wales | 26.55 | 0.1p | £2.91 |
| North Western England | 26.49 | 0.1p | £2.90 |
| Southern England | 26.47 | 0.1p | £2.90 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35 | 0.1p | £2.89 |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11 | 0.1p | £2.86 |
| West Midlands | 25.60 | 0.1p | £2.80 |
| Yorkshire | 25.60 | 0.1p | £2.80 |
| North Eastern England | 25.46 | 0.1p | £2.79 |
| East Midlands | 25.36 | 0.1p | £2.78 |
| Great Britain average | 26.32 | 0.1p | £2.88 |
East Midlands is cheapest at £2.78 a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at £3.05 a year — a gap of 27p for identical use.
How a smart speaker compares with similar appliances
Ranked by typical annual cost in entertainment & office, GB average:
- smart speaker — £2.88 a year (this page)
- home printer — 40p a year
- computer monitor — £17.29 a year
- broadband router — £18.45 a year
- laptop — £19.21 a year
- 43-inch LED TV — £28.82 a year
Three practical ways to cut the cost
- Leave it plugged in rather than unplugging between uses — the standby draw is negligible
- Use the mute switch rather than fully unplugging if you want privacy without a meaningful power saving either way
- Group multiple smart-speaker rooms sensibly rather than running more units than you actually use
FAQs
- How much does it cost to run a smart speaker for an hour?
- 0.1p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 3W). One typical use — left plugged in most of the day — costs closer to 0.8p.
- How much does a smart speaker cost to run per year?
- Around £2.88 a year at the GB-average rate, assuming left plugged in most of the day — about 5.5p a week.
- Which UK region is cheapest to run a smart speaker in?
- East Midlands, at £2.78 a year, against £3.05 in Merseyside and Northern Wales — 27p apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.
- Does the exact wattage of my smart speaker change the cost much?
- Yes — ratings range 1.5W–6W, so the top of that range costs about 4.0x the bottom. This page uses 3W; check your own rating plate.
- Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?
- Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.
Sources
- Tech4Gods — how much electricity does Alexa use — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).
Related
- Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
- Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
- Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
- Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.
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