Garage door opener vs. video doorbell: running cost
A video doorbell is cheaper to run: about $6 a year versus $7 for a garage door opener at typical use and 17.99¢/kWh, a $1 difference.
| Garage door opener | Video doorbell | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical watts | 450 W | 4 W |
| Watt range | 300–800 W | 1–8 W |
| Typical use | 2 minutes a day | 24 hours a day |
| Energy per year | 40 kWh | 35 kWh |
| Cost per hour | 8.1¢ | 0.07¢ |
| Cost per day | 2.0¢ | 1.7¢ |
| Cost per month | $0.60 | $0.53 |
| Cost per year | $7 | $6 |
| Per year in Hawaii (43.51¢) | $17 | $15 |
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What drives the difference
- Garage door opener: Garage door openers draw 300-600 W for about 10-15 seconds per cycle, but standby (receiver, safety sensors, Wi-Fi) runs 24/7 at 2-8 W, which is most of the annual use.
- Video doorbell: Wired video doorbells draw about 2-5 W continuously, plus a small loss in the doorbell transformer; battery models use under 10 kWh a year in recharging.
Ways to cut either cost
Battery video doorbell
Uses only a few kWh a year in charging.
See options on Amazon LED garage door opener bulb
Cuts a 60 W incandescent to about 9 W and resists vibration.
See options on AmazonWe may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. It never changes the numbers we show. Disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Which costs more to run, a garage door opener or a video doorbell?
At typical use and the U.S. average rate (17.99¢/kWh), a garage door opener costs about $7 a year versus $6 for a video doorbell. That's $1 more.
How many watts do garage door opener and video doorbell use?
A garage door opener typically draws 450 W (range 300–800 W). A video doorbell draws 4 W (range 1–8 W). Watts alone don't decide cost. Hours of use, cycling and standby matter just as much.
Rates: EIA, 12 months ending 2026-07. Methodology.