The question of precisely how long hearing aid batteries should be expected to last isn’t as simple to respond to as it seems, because battery life depends on many factors. One factor is the company manufacturing the hearing aid. Battery performance differs by manufacturer and also across models from the same company. The actual life of a hearing aid battery also depends upon the length of time each day that the hearing aid is powered on. As you would expect, the more you use the hearing aid, the faster the batteries will deplete.
There are even different battery lives in the exact same size of battery depending on the manufacturer, and depending on if you are buying that manufacturer’s “premium” line or their “normal” line. Battery type is yet another main factor in longevity. For example, zinc-air batteries will start to burn stored energy the instant you remove the adhesive tab on the bottom and will continue to lose charge even if the hearing aid is powered off while other battery types will only drain when they’re inside a hearing aid that is powered on.
If you are in the market for a new hearing aid, you may wish to do some research in advance to see which have the best ratings for battery life, because that could influence your choice of which type or which model of hearing aid to buy. If you have an existing hearing aid and are looking for the longest lasting batteries for it, the Internet can be a fabulous source of comparative ratings and reports.
Hearing aid and battery manufacturers have worked to make things less confusing by standardizing their sizes and using specific color codes for each battery size which is the same for every manufacturer. The hours listed below for each size are estimates, but will give you a general idea of how long hearing aid batteries of each size ought to last given standard use:
- Size 675 – Blue – 300 hours
- Size 312 – Brown – 175 hours
- Size 13 – Orange – 240 hours
- Size 10 – Yellow – 80 hours
Remember to turn your hearing aid off when you are not using it for the longest battery life. And to ensure batteries you’ve already purchased but haven’t used yet remain fresh and retain their power as long as possible, store them indoors in their original unopened packages, and at room temperature.