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[MikeNY]

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[DParker]

We all pretty much know how much all this tech costs to purchase, but has anyone calculated the electricity cost of having all these sensors and hubs running 24/7..?

More than we think maybe.

Or far less, depending on who "we" is.  In the grand scheme of things, the energy consumption of most of these devices is so small you probably can't even measure their impact on your electricity bill.  According to Amazon, even your relatively power-hungry Echo only consumes about 5.8 watts (measured at the wall socket) when playing streaming music at volume level 8.

Most sensors are battery operated, and can get useful lives of a year (or even more) from a CR123A cell.

[ScottinPollock]

While most draw power 24/7, I can tell you that after switching out all lights to smart LED, and automating them so they are only on when being used (along with the water heater and other appliances), my electric bill has gone down from a monthly average of $120 to one of $68.

[markv]

We all pretty much know how much all this tech costs to purchase, but has anyone calculated the electricity cost of having all these sensors and hubs running 24/7..?

More than we think maybe.

Or much less than you think ... 

I've automated all the lights, thermostats, and media devices in my home over the last several years and also installed a TED5000 energy monitor 7 years ago which has been tracking daily power usage since then. Turns out that the use of smart lighting controls (timed and/or occupancy based) has saved an average of $350+ per year in lighting energy costs, which is far more than the extra cost to power the automation devices.

But for even bigger savings, swap out all your incandescent bulbs for LEDs. BIG energy savings.

[ScottinPollock]

So far you're all referring to your overall savings. I was wondering about the actual cost of just running the device itself. I think the running costs of the devices are being hidden by the overall cost savings. Some devices consume more than others.

If you're interested in more than the big picture grab a kill-a-watt and measure yourself. You'd be surprised with some of what you find (I had a Samsung TV that burned 35 Watts on standby!). Bye bye Samsung!

[mike27oct]

If someone has swapped out as many incandescent bulbs as they can at home (i suppose I have replaced around 40, 65W bulbs and floods in house and outside porches,) that makes a big impact on elect. bill.  Using gas range burners (or BBQ grill) more than electric oven also makes big dent in the power bill, and having gas water heater keeps that appliance off the bill, and doing all other energy saving measures for power hungry appliances, then the solid state devices use so much less juice than the big appliances do, that their contribution to the total power bill is almost insignificant. 

Basically, don't sweat the small stuff if you have taken care of the big stuff to reduce their energy consumption.

[ScottinPollock]

Samsung has been the subject of many news features over the past year and continue to be a problem.

Hasn't just been recently that Samsung has been screwing customers. I've sworn off that brand years ago. Less than thrilled they've acquired SmartThings. They will eventually ruin it.

[DParker]

Yes, bye bye Samsung is a good idea all 'round. Their failure rate in TV's, refrigerators, and other products is now horrific. Folks also have a hard time getting them to stand behind their warranty. Samsung has been the subject of many news features over the past year and continue to be a problem.

I've heard that from a few people, but as far as I can tell the only real quality problems Samsung has are with their major appliances (washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc).  I've owned several Samsung electronics products over the past few years (4 Galaxy phones, a LED TV, a computer monitor, a sound bar and even a washing machine) and I've never had so much as a single problem with any of them.  Even the ST hub itself has been very reliable (the problems with ST being with the cloud architecture and the way the development and support are being managed).

[DParker]

I had a Samsung TV and a friend of mine also had a Samsung TV. Both failed with lines on the screen under a year. Samsung wouldn't do a thing.

Samsung's warranty on their TVs is 1 full year, parts and labor.  If your TV failed in under a year without you doing something to break it they had to cover it, by law.

[ScottinPollock]

Samsung's warranty on their TVs is 1 full year, parts and labor.  If your TV failed in under a year without you doing something to break it they had to cover it, by law.

You'd think! My first samsung TV (4 grand) was dead out of the box. Dealer replaced that one, but the replacement started to flicker 8 months in. Samsung took weeks to get it addressed, telling me repeatedly, that I would get calls that never came. Took over a month to get someone out who couldn't fix it. Called them again and the same story. Finally the same guy comes out again, but he still can't fix it. He suggests I call samsung for a replacement.

What a surprise... same multiweek run around. I finally spend 2 hours on the phone with them, asking for supervisor after supervisor. I finally get a man with no foreign accent that says they are done with me and that my set is no longer in warranty, with a set of options that were all very expensive. I asked to speak with his supervisor and he refuses, basically telling me they have done all they are going to, and to have a nice day.

"Wanna bet, jackass?"

It took a certified letter to sammy's U.S. CEO with a little attorney speak that I would pursue a breach of warranty suit under California's consumer protection statutes, to get a new TV (which showed up within the week). But 3 years later, that one literally exploded.

AVS Forums are full of tales like this. Even Scott Wilkinson, one of the forums' editors, has gone on record that Samsung is probably the worst offender in this regard.

[DParker]

You'd think! My first samsung TV (4 grand) was dead out of the box. Dealer replaced that one, but the replacement started to flicker 8 months in. Samsung took weeks to get it addressed, telling me repeatedly, that I would get calls that never came. Took over a month to get someone out who couldn't fix it. Called them again and the same story. Finally the same guy comes out again, but he still can't fix it. He suggests I call samsung for a replacement.

What a surprise... same multiweek run around. I finally spend 2 hours on the phone with them, asking for supervisor after supervisor. I finally get a man with no foreign accent that says they are done with me and that my set is no longer in warranty, with a set of options that were all very expensive. I asked to speak with his supervisor and he refuses, basically telling me they have done all they are going to, and to have a nice day.

"Wanna bet, jackass?"

It took a certified letter to sammy's U.S. CEO with a little attorney speak that I would pursue a breach of warranty suit under California's consumer protection statutes, to get a new TV (which showed up within the week). But 3 years later, that one literally exploded.

AVS Forums are full of tales like this. Even Scott Wilkinson, one of the forums' editors, has gone on record that Samsung is probably the worst offender in this regard.

I'll agree that's quite a consumer horror story.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

[renegade600]

I had a Samsung TV and a friend of mine also had a Samsung TV. Both failed with lines on the screen under a year. Samsung wouldn't do a thing.

Samsung's warranty on their TVs is 1 full year, parts and labor.  If your TV failed in under a year without you doing something to break it they had to cover it, by law.

not when they are able to blame the consumer.  go to the cnet samsung forum and you will find samsung will not always honor their warranty - especially when it comes to screen cracking on their larger tvs