Alexa, how much power do you consume? That’s the question that could well have brought you to this point. The convenience of the Amazon Echo is awesome. You can listen to music, go shopping, or play games in just a few words. This convenience requires a constant power supply though. If you’re like me, you’re now wondering about the power consumption…
Below we will discuss and test Amazon Echo wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is an Amazon Echo?
An Amazon Echo uses between 1 and 3 watts.
The exact number depends on the model of your Amazon Alexa device. For example, a first generation uses 3W when in operation while a fourth generation is lower at 1.9W.
Plus you should also be aware that even in the manually selected off mode it will use 0.5W.
How to Find Out Your Amazon Echo Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of an Amazon Echo.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the Amazon Echo’s specification. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your Amazon Echo to get instant information.
I used one to test my Amazon Echo 4th Gen which gave a live reading of 1.9W.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your Amazon Echo you can use this to find the running watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
Amazon Echo Wattage Examples
Let’s take a look at specific examples of how many watts an Amazon Echo draws. Below is a collection of modern Amazon Echos with their listed power ratings.
| Amazon Echo Model | Power (Watts) in Networked Standby |
| Amazon Echo (1st Generation) | 3 |
| Amazon Echo (2nd Generation) | 1.7 |
| Amazon Echo Plus | 2.9 |
| Amazon Echo (3rd Generation) | 1.8 |
| Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) | 1.4 |
| Amazon Echo (4th Generation) | 1.9 |
As you can see, the power ratings vary between different Amazon Echos. So you should take the time to check your own appliance.
How Much Electricity Does an Amazon Echo Use?
You can use Amazon Echo wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to use Alexa.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, an Amazon Echo drawing 2W would use 2Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 2W Amazon Echo running for 1 hour uses 0.002kWh.
An Amazon Echo will be on standby or running for 24 hours a day. This means Alexa uses about 48Wh or 0.048kWh electricity a day. That’s 1.44kWh a month and 17.52kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $2.62 a year for the convenience of using Alexa.
Using an Amazon Echo Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your Amazon Echo in an off-grid situation like an RV, boat, or semi-truck the information above is important. It allows you to pick the correct power products and know how long it can run.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator for AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your Amazon Echo. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To enjoy this AI assistance, you will need at least 3W of power capacity, although the smallest size inverters are 75W.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the Amazon Alexa for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use about 48Wh electricity a day. This is the equivalent to 4Ah on a 12V battery. This is not a lot of energy, but it does seem like a waste if you have a limited supply.
Truth is: These are low powered appliances that you can run in your home without noticing a massive spike in your electricity usage. For a couple of dollars a year, you can enjoy the awesome convenience. I will say that if you have a limited power supply, then it’s probably not worth running when trying to conserve electricity.
Thanks, Alexa.
