7 smart light bulbs that can save you money on energy - and where to buy them
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The nights are drawing in and you are properly finding yourself switching your lights on much earlier than even a few weeks ago. Before we know it winter will be upon us and it is time to start planning ahead.
A traditional light bulb will do the job when it comes to lighting up a room, but they can be cold and are usually limited to just one colour. However you may want something that can provide more warmth to your home, as the mercury begins to plummet.
And as the cherry on top of the cake, they can also be more efficient and potentially save you some money. The efficiency means they use less energy and may help keep your bill down slightly - they also have a long life, so you won’t have to worry about replacing them regularly.
But which ones should you consider? Here are a few suggestions that can be found on Amazon right now. Including one we’ve been reviewing ourselves.
Twinkly - Candies 200
Price: £59.15
Customer rating: 4.3/ 5
I have been using these smart lights from Twinkly for a little while, having been provided with them. Swapping them out for the usual pair of fairy lights and the difference was instantly noticeable.
The lights have a range of customisable colours, with plenty of warming options that are perfect for the dark autumn/ winter nights. And they are bound to look incredible on a Christmas tree.
The Twinkly app lets you set a timer, so the lights will switch themselves on and off without needing to unplug them. It also lets you edit the colours and set your favourites.
But just be warned they come with just a USB-C charging cable, not a plug. So make sure you have a spare one available.
Watch my full review and see the lights in action at the top of this article.You can purchase the Twinkly Candies from Amazon here.
Philips Hue White and Colour
Price: £42.95 (22% discount)
Customer rating: 4.7/5
This smart bulb from Philips is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so you can enjoy giving voice commands to turn it on and off - which I absolutely love doing. The bulb works out the box with the free ‘Philips Hue Bluetooth’ app. Simply screw in yournew bulb and connect to the Bluetooth app for in room smart lighting control!
Philips says the bulb is designed for full rooms: with a brightness of 470 lumen, these smart LED bulbs provide the right amount of light to fill areas of your living room or kitchen. Choose from 16 million colours including warm to cool white light to create an ambiance that suits any mood. Play with colour to create the perfect ambiance for film nights, parties, bedtime stories, or to just sit back and unwind!
Tapo Smart Bulb
Price: £9.99 (17% discount)
Customer rating: 4.4/5
This remote access smart bulb works with Amazon’s Alexa home assistants. It is also compatible with Google Assistant and you can control it with voice commands.
The bulb comes with a wide range of colours and dimming capabilities, making it uber customisable so you can choose from multiple colours and set the mood to match any moment. You can share management permissions with family members for multiple control of Tapo remote control light bulb.
And you can also set schedules/timers to switch on and off automatically when you’re home or away.
Keepsmile B22 Smart Light Bulbs
Price: £23.99 (20% discount)
Customer rating: 4.8/5
What is better than one smart light bulb? How about a four pack! Keepsmile’s pack is compatible with Amazon Alexa as well as Google Home and more.
Users are able to control the bulbs with their voice. The lights can be customised with 16 million dimmable colours and warm-to-cool whites and multi-dynamic scenes that can be changed depending on your mood.
The bulbs are ideal for decorating your home during holidays like Halloween and Christmas. And to help you set them up there is an app you can download.
Alexa Light Bulbs 100W Equivalent
Price: £29.99
Customer rating: 4.3/ 5
These bluetooth light bulbs support both Alexa speaker and APP control. They are easy to operate, no router or gateway needed.
Like other smart bulbs it comes with a range of customisable options including 16 million RGB colours, over a dozen dynamic modes, DIY scenes, music rhythm, music synchronisation functions. So perfect for next time you throw a dance party.
It is equipped with a Bluetooth 5.0 chip to deliver the all new “MESH” connectivity. Practical APP user interface allows you free control to any number of lamps as desired. An excellent solution to multi-lights operation, which overcomes the shortcomings of remote control lights and WIFI lights.
Avatar Controls Smart Bulb
Price: £14.99 (17% discount)
Customer rating: 4.3
Avatar Controls Light Bulbs is compatible with Siri (iOS 12 or Upper), compatible with Alexa (Echo / Echo dot / Echo Flex etc.), Google Home. Wherever you are, simply control ALL yoursmart light bulbs by using the "AvatarControls" App.
You can dim the brightness and colours of the smart bulb by simply giving voice commands, "Alexa, turn the light on!" Create your favourite light ambiance with 16 millions colours.
Make controlling the lights easy by sharing it with your family, so it is easy for the whole household to control.
You can share all Avatar Controls smart alexa light bulbs to your family, easy to control together. Also, the smart alexa light bulbs color temperature is 3000-6200K, you can adjust brightness, warm white or cool white or RGB lights to meet your needs.
ANTELA Smart Bulb
Price: £13.59 (20% discount)
Customer rating: 4.3
The final smart bulb on our list is the ANTELA product, which like other devices can be controlled by smart assistants such as Alexa, Google Home and more. Just give a simple voice command to turn on/off or increase/decrease the light, or change the light to a specific colour.
Even if you are not at home, you can also control the on/off of your smart bulb directly through the Smart Life application on your Android or iOS device, as long as your phone accesses a secure 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. You can program the automatic switching on/off of smart bulbs via your phone's APP. And you can also set a countdown timer.
Once again it has a range of 16 million colours to choose from to suit your mood/ the season. In addition, there are 8 pre-programmed scenes to choose from, or you can DIY scenes to match various occasions. There is also a musical function where the lights will change colour and flash to the rhythm.
Have you tried out any smart light bulbs, what do you think and which would you recommend? Share your experiences with our tech writer by emailing:[email protected].