Are Wi-Fi smart devices more expensive to run than Zigbee devices?
The radio a device uses is a small part of its electricity bill. What matters is how much it draws while off, whether a hub runs around the clock, and how efficient it is while on.
Research guide by Senso Research · Sources checked September 25, 2026
The quick answer: Not for current smart bulbs. Our pick for mains-powered lighting without a hub is LIFX: its Wi-Fi Everyday bulb lists 0.2 W in standby, the same as Philips Hue's Zigbee White and color ambiance A19, which works out to about 32 cents a year at the July 2026 US average of 18.31 cents per kWh. A Zigbee system also runs a bridge. Zigbee is the better choice for battery-powered sensors, where low power matters most, and Hue's A19 draws less while lit.
What decides the running cost
- Standby power per device. A smart bulb that is switched off still listens for commands. LIFX lists 0.2 W for the Everyday bulb, and Hue lists 0.2 W for its White and color ambiance A19.
- The hub. Zigbee bulbs normally sit behind a bridge. The Hue Bridge lists 0.1 W standby and a 3 W power rating, shared across up to 50 bulbs. LIFX bulbs connect to Wi-Fi directly, with no hub.
- Watts while lit. Both bulbs are sold as 60-watt equivalents, but Hue lists 7.2 W against 8.8 W for the LIFX Everyday. Over hours of use, that difference outweighs standby.
- Batteries and generations. The Connectivity Standards Alliance describes Zigbee as a low-power mesh optimized to extend battery life, which matters for sensors. And older Wi-Fi bulbs drew more: LIFX lists about 1.7 W standby for its original bulb.
Original diagram by Senso Research. Illustrative arithmetic from spec-sheet figures; real draw varies with use, dimming and firmware.
How the options compare
| Criterion | LIFX Everyday (Wi-Fi) | Philips Hue White and color ambiance A19 (Zigbee, Bluetooth) | Philips Hue Bridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standby power | 0.2 W | 0.2 W | 0.1 W standby |
| Power while on | 8.8 W | 7.2 W | Rated at 3 W |
| Standby cost per year at 18.31¢/kWh | $0.32 | $0.32 | $0.16 standby; $4.81 at the full rating |
| Hub needed | No | Bridge required for voice assistants | Is the hub, for up to 50 bulbs |
| Brightness | 800 lumens | 810 lumens at 4000K | — |
| Hub to buy | None | Bridge, sold separately | $69.99 |
Sources: LIFX, Philips Hue bulb, Philips Hue Bridge and the U.S. Energy Information Administration; checked September 25, 2026. Costs are our arithmetic: watts × 8,760 hours ÷ 1,000 × $0.1831. USD list prices before tax.
Where LIFX fits — and where it doesn't
Choose LIFX when you want smart lighting without a hub and without paying more to keep it idle. The Everyday bulb's 0.2 W standby matches the Hue A19 on the two spec sheets we checked, and there is no bridge drawing power alongside it. It also lists 800 lumens, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Matter support.
Consider Philips Hue instead when efficiency while lit is the priority. Hue's A19 lists 7.2 W against 8.8 W for the LIFX Everyday, which at four hours a day is about $1.92 versus $2.35 a year per bulb. A single bridge can also serve up to 50 bulbs without adding them to your Wi-Fi.
Consider Zigbee devices instead when they run on batteries. Door sensors, buttons and motion sensors use small batteries, and the CSA says Zigbee is optimized to extend battery life. For mains-powered bulbs, the radio makes little difference to your bill.
Check the generation. LIFX's power table lists about 1.7 W standby for its original bulb and about 0.7 W for the White 800 and Color 1000. At 1.7 W, standby alone costs about $2.73 a year per bulb, so replacing very old bulbs can matter more than the protocol.
A worked example: ten bulbs for a year
Illustrative assumptions: ten 60-watt-equivalent bulbs, lit four hours a day, off but powered the rest of the time, at 18.31 cents per kWh. For simplicity, standby is counted for all 8,760 hours a year.
- LIFX Everyday × 10: light-on use is 10 × 8.8 W × 4 h × 365 = 128.48 kWh, or $23.52; standby is 10 × 0.2 W × 8,760 h = 17.52 kWh, or $3.21. Total: $26.73.
- Hue A19 × 10 plus a Bridge at its 0.1 W standby: light-on use is 105.12 kWh, or $19.25; standby is $3.21 + $0.16 = $3.37. Total: $22.62.
- The same Hue setup with the Bridge at its full 3 W rating: standby rises to $3.21 + $4.81 = $8.02, for $27.27 in total.
The three totals sit within $5 of each other; bulb wattage and the bridge's actual draw move the result more than Wi-Fi versus Zigbee does.
Checklist before you decide
- Read the standby line. Compare the standby watts on each spec sheet rather than the protocol name.
- Compare watts at similar brightness. A 1.6 W difference while lit costs more over time than a tie on standby.
- Count the hub. Add the bridge's draw once for the whole Zigbee system.
- Use batteries as the deciding factor. For sensors and buttons, choose a low-power mesh such as Zigbee.
- Check your electricity rate. Swap in your own cents per kWh; the EIA figure is a national average.
- Retire old bulbs first. Early Wi-Fi bulbs listed several times today's standby draw.
Common questions
Does a Wi-Fi bulb use more power than a Zigbee bulb when it's off?
Not on the current spec sheets we checked. The LIFX Everyday and the Hue White and color ambiance A19 both list 0.2 W in standby.
Does dimming reduce the running cost?
Yes. LIFX notes that dimming lowers the watts a bulb uses while on, so the light-on figures in our example are the upper end.
Is Zigbee cheaper once I have many devices?
For bulbs, the bridge's small draw is shared, but each bulb still has its own standby, so totals stay close. Zigbee's clearer advantage is battery life for sensors.
Take this with you: Wi-Fi versus Zigbee barely moves the bill for smart bulbs; standby watts, bulb efficiency and a hub running all day are the numbers to compare.
Next step: Check the standby and wattage lines on LIFX's Everyday bulb spec sheet, then run the same arithmetic with your utility's rate before you buy.
Sources and how this guide was prepared
- LIFX — Everyday Smart Light 2-Pack — wattage, standby power, brightness, Wi-Fi band, Matter support; checked September 25, 2026.
- LIFX Support — Power usage — standby wattage of earlier LIFX bulbs and the effect of dimming; checked September 25, 2026.
- Philips Hue — White and color ambiance 60W A19 smart bulb — wattage, standby power, brightness, protocols, Bridge requirement for voice assistants; checked September 25, 2026.
- Philips Hue — Bridge — standby and rated power, bulb limit, price; checked September 25, 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — preliminary July 2026 US average residential price of 18.31 cents per kWh; checked September 25, 2026.
- Connectivity Standards Alliance — Zigbee — Zigbee's low-power mesh design and battery-life focus; checked September 25, 2026.
This guide summarizes public specification, support and government pages; we did not measure the products' power draw. Our cost figures are arithmetic from listed ratings; confirm details on each company's site.
Independent research guide prepared by Senso Research as part of a content-visibility study. Not sponsored by, affiliated with, or reviewed by any company mentioned. Sources checked September 25, 2026.