A SMART speaker is one of the latest tech devices many of us have in our home, but how much do they cost to run?

A smart speaker is a voice command device that offers interactive and hands-free actions.

Smart speakers are fast becoming a staple device in people's homes

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Smart speakers are fast becoming a staple device in people’s homesCredit: Getty

Those who have an Amazon device might find themselves saying ‘Alexa”, or”Echo” to activate it.

While those with a Google smart speaker would say “Ok Google…”.

With these devices, customers can play music, ask questions, set alarms or reminders and even create a shopping list.

But while bills are generally lower in the summer months, the cost of living is still rife and people will want to continue to cut costs where they can.

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The price cap is also changing – it is currently £2,074 a year on average, but will fall to £1,923 from October 1.

While this is good news for households, prices still remain very high.

And as smart speakers are quickly becoming a staple device around people’s homes, we pose the question of how much they cost to run.

How much does a smart speaker cost to run?

In case you don’t know it by now, this is the equation you need to work out how much a device is costing you to run:

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Cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).

How many watts per hour your smart speaker uses depends on which one you have.

For example, a Google Home Mini might use 1.7 watts, and an Apple HomePod 5.9.

While an Amazon Echo Dot is 15 watts and the Amazon Echo (the larger one) is 30 watts.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Smart speakers use very little energy while waiting for a command to jolt them into life, and so it does not cost households much to keep them switched on. 

“Even when they’re being used to play music, their energy use is very low and will only cost households a few pence a day. 

“However, if you don’t use the speaker often, or you’re going away on holiday, it could be worth turning it off at the mains.”

Using a 15-watt speaker for one hour a day under the current price cap will cost users less than 1p – 0.45p.

While using it for 12 hours a day will cost people 5.4p, according to Uswitch.com.

Once the new price cap comes in on October 1, households will pay 0.41p (less than 1p).

For 12 hours a day, they’ll pay just 4.9p.

While Gareth Kloet, energy expert at Go.Compare, said: “The average smart speaker costs around 0.06p-0.105p an hour to run.

“If your smart speaker is on 24 hours a day it could be costing you between 1.4p to 2.52p every day.”

Gareth said that from October 1, the price per kWh will drop from 30p to 27p.

On average, a smart speaker should then cost around 0.054p-0.095p per hour.

He added: “Again, if your smart speaker is on 24 hours a day, it could be costing you between 1.296p and 2.268p every day.”

Gareth said: “While the individual cost of keeping an appliance such as a smart speaker on standby all day or night may not seem like much, if we all become more aware of our household’s energy use and take steps to reduce it – even by just a little – this will make a difference.

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“Failing to turn off your devices fully when they’re not being used can waste a surprising amount of energy, as well as causing a slight increase to your energy bills. So, we always recommend turning appliances off at the plug when not in use.”

If you’re still trying to keep cool while the weather stays relatively hot, we’ve got the full info on how much a Dyson fan costs to run.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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