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- I still buy and use AA and AAA batteries in bulk, mostly for my modern smart home devices.
- It seems odd to keep using batteries in 2023, but they're still a major necessity.
- Buying in bulk is the best way to go, so you always have fresh batteries on hand.
I regularly buy massive 48-packs of AA batteries on Amazon because I still rely on this relatively ancient source of power even in 2023, when it feels like more and more devices are powered with rechargeable internal batteries.
Surprisingly, the main culprits behind my insane use of AA batteries are modern smart home devices, like smart thermostats and smart door locks. I have four smart thermostats, which is admittedly odd, but that's the way my home's climate control was set up back in the day. Each smart thermostat takes four AA batteries, so that's 16 batteries I have to replace periodically.
And yes, some homes are wired to supply power to thermostats, but mine isn't, so I have to use AA batteries.
I also have two smart door locks, each of which use four AA batteries. So that's another eight AA batteries I have to keep on hand and change every so often.
So, for the smart home upgrade I did a few years ago, I have to continuously keep 22 AA batteries on-hand, ready to replace old batteries in my smart thermostats and smart door locks.
More battery gobblers in my house
There are also the usual culprits that use AA batteries, like my TV and cable box's remote controls — that's four AA batteries right there. There are also my Xbox controllers, each of which use two AA batteries. And there are various other devices, like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide sensors.
Buying bulk batteries for my smart home devices has been handy for replacing batteries in these common devices, as I always have batteries on hand.
I've been buying bulk AA batteries for a few years now, and it's the best way to go if you're often changing batteries in whatever devices you have that require them. Specifically, I bought this 48-pack of Rayovac AA batteries on Amazon for $25 because they were cheaper than Duracells, and Rayovac is still a well-known and reliable brand for batteries.
Why not use rechargeable batteries?
I explored rechargeable AA batteries, and I still use them from time to time. However, the company that installed my smart home devices suggested against using rechargeable batteries for their thermostats and door locks.
The technician said they supposedly don't provide enough power. I did find that I was switching out the rechargeable batteries more often than with normal batteries.
I also need batteries for baby toys for my daughter, but those mostly use smaller AAA batteries. For those toys, I buy a 30-pack of Rayovac AAA batteries on Amazon for around $15.
