Why look at smart light energy use?
Hue lights are LEDs and each one draws only a few watts, but a whole home of them left on through the evening adds up. A simple estimate helps you spot rooms that stay on longer than you thought, or lights you usually run at full brightness when a lower level would do.
What the Energy Dashboard shows
- Live draw: an estimate of how many watts your lights are using right now, with how many lights are on across how many rooms.
- Today, 7 days and 30 days: estimated energy use in kilowatt-hours (kWh) for each period.
- Last 7 days chart: a day-by-day bar chart of estimated kWh, so you can see which days were heavier.
- By room: each room's current estimated wattage and how many of its lights are on.
Until HueCommand has observed some use, the dashboard shows "No usage data yet". Totals and the trend fill in as you use your lights.
How the estimate works
The Hue Bridge does not report how much power a light uses, so HueCommand estimates it from two things:
- A typical wattage for the type of light. HueCommand uses the light's type as reported by the bridge, such as a standard bulb, spot, candle, lightstrip or outdoor bollard, and looks up a typical full-brightness wattage for it.
- Brightness. That wattage is scaled by the light's brightness. A light at 50 percent counts as half its full wattage. Lights that are off count as zero.
For history, HueCommand records when each light turns on and off and at what brightness, and multiplies the estimated watts by the hours it was on.
| Light type | Estimated watts at full brightness |
|---|---|
| Standard bulb, flood, pendant, ceiling, table or floor lamp | 9 W |
| Wall light | 8 W |
| Spot bulb | 5.5 W |
| Candle or luster bulb | 5 W |
| Lightstrip or Signe | 20 W |
| Bollard | 15 W |
| Other types | 9 W |
Know the limits
These are estimates, not meter readings, and the dashboard says so:
- Wattages are typical values for a type of light, not the exact rating of your bulb.
- History only reflects use that HueCommand saw while it was open. Lights switched on and off while the app was closed may be missed, so totals can come out lower than the real figure.
- Your actual consumption will vary.
The dashboard shows energy, not money. To work out a cost, multiply the kWh figure by the rate on your electricity bill.
Where to find it
Open HueCommand, go to Settings and tap Energy. The Energy Dashboard requires HueCommand Pro: $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year in the US, or a one-time Lifetime unlock (prices vary by country). HueCommand is listed on the App Store as Command for Philips Hue. See all features.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Hue Bridge measure power use?
No. The bridge does not report wattage, so HueCommand estimates it from each light's type and brightness.
How accurate is the energy estimate?
It is a rough guide. It uses typical wattages per light type and only counts use that HueCommand observed while it was open, so it may under-count. Treat it as a way to compare rooms and days rather than as a meter.
Can I see the cost in my currency?
No. The dashboard shows kilowatt-hours. Multiply the figure by your electricity rate to estimate cost.
Is the Energy Dashboard free?
No, it is a Pro feature. Free users see the upgrade screen when they tap Energy in Settings.