Smart bulbs are the new light bulbs that everyone is talking about but how much do you know about them? Do Smart Bulbs burn out? As it turns out, they do, but it’s a very gradual process. Today we’ll explain what happens with Smart Bulbs and give you a little information that you may not know about these modern marvels.
So, how long do Smart Bulbs last?
First off, while they do burn out, Smart Bulbs do last a long time. Even a Smart Bulb on the ‘low’ end of the technology is rated for 15,000 hours! This means that you could keep it on for about 8 hours a day for a period of around 5 years. That’s a lot of time from one bulb.
Incandescent bulbs, your ‘standard’ light bulbs are generally rated for about 1000 hours. You do the math!
Why do Smart Bulbs burn out?
Smart Bulbs don’t just ‘burn out’ all of the sudden as much as they just slowly dim away. With silver and gold used as conductors in their construction, these bulbs can withstand a lot of heat, and their LED lights don’t even need much energy.
That said, over time they will start to function less-efficiently, dimming out until they must be replaced. With the amazing amount of hours which they are rated for they do last a long time, however, and if you factor in the cost of replacing incandescent bulbs then you can really see a savings. There is one thing that needs to be considered, however, which you may have heard about.
Do Smart Bulbs really use electricity while they are off?
Smart Bulbs are designed to work with programs and apps such as Siri or Google Assistant, giving you a lot of control in how they are used. You can have lights dim out over time, for instance, if you wish to gradually relax yourself each evening. This is an excellent example of the diverse uses of this technology, but it does come at a price.
Smart Bulbs do use a small amount of electricity when they are not in use, which groups them into a category some refer to as ‘vampire devices’. The reason that it is draining power when not in use is because the bulb is technically on ‘standby’, so that it may respond more swiftly to an issued command, so this is not some sort of ‘flaw’ in the technology.
It is simply working as designed. We should also point out right away that this is a very small amount, adding only cents to your electric bill, so this is not a deal breaker for most, but it is a consideration when you decide to go with this technology.
Are Smart Bulbs worth it, then?
If you are making the switch from incandescent bulbs to Smart Bulbs then yes, you will be saving an appreciable amount of money. That said, if we compare Smart Bulbs and regular LED lights then you would be saving more money with the Standard LED lights.
This is due to the standby feature, as Smart Bulbs are technically LED lights as well, but with standard LEDs the difference is simply that ‘off’ is truly ‘off’.
Do Smart Bulbs burn out? Indeed they do, but they will save you money and last a very, very long time!