Video doorbell vs. smart home hub: running cost
A smart home hub is cheaper to run: about $5 a year versus $6 for a video doorbell at typical use and 17.99¢/kWh, a $2 difference.
| Video doorbell | Smart home hub | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical watts | 4 W | 3 W |
| Watt range | 1–8 W | 1–10 W |
| Typical use | 24 hours a day | 24 hours a day |
| Energy per year | 35 kWh | 26 kWh |
| Cost per hour | 0.07¢ | 0.05¢ |
| Cost per day | 1.7¢ | 1.3¢ |
| Cost per month | $0.53 | $0.39 |
| Cost per year | $6 | $5 |
| Per year in Hawaii (43.51¢) | $15 | $11 |
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What drives the difference
- 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.
- Smart home hub: Smart home hubs and bridges draw about 1-4 W continuously; Home Assistant on a mini PC is closer to 6-10 W.
Ways to cut either cost
Multi-protocol smart hub
Replaces several single-brand bridges with one low-power device.
See options on Amazon Battery video doorbell
Uses only a few kWh a year in charging.
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 video doorbell or a smart home hub?
At typical use and the U.S. average rate (17.99¢/kWh), a video doorbell costs about $6 a year versus $5 for a smart home hub. That's $2 more, or 1.3× as much.
How many watts do video doorbell and smart home hub use?
A video doorbell typically draws 4 W (range 1–8 W). A smart home hub draws 3 W (range 1–10 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.