Even though the battery performance for hearing aids might sound like an easy question to answer, it actually depends on a variety of factors. Battery life will depend on the model of your hearing aid, and may vary widely across different models produced by the same manufacturer. The actual life of a hearing aid battery also hinges upon the length of time each day that the hearing aid is powered on. Unsurprisingly, the more you use your hearing aid, the faster the batteries will deplete.
The hearing aid batteries themselves are a major factor. Batteries of the same size from different manufacturers will have different lives. And there will be variance within one battery manufacturer if they offer premium or extended-life lines. Hearing aid battery life also depends on battery type; for example some varieties are only discharging power when they are in a hearing aid that is switched on, while other types (such as, zinc-air batteries) start losing stored energy as soon as you take away the adhesive strip on the bottom of the battery and they are in contact with oxygen, regardless of whether the hearing aid is on or not.
If considering new hearing aids, it’s a wise idea to do some research on the different models and the types of batteries they use to help you make the best choice. The same research suggestion is true if you have an existing hearing aid and are looking for the batteries with the longest life for it; you can find out a great deal from consumer ratings and comparative reports.
Fortunately, when shopping for hearing aid batteries, their manufacturers have made things a lot simpler for you by standardizing their sizes and color-coding each size; the exact same color codes are used by all hearing aid battery manufacturers. The times listed below for each battery size are approximations, but will give you a basic idea of how long hearing aid batteries of each size should last given standard use:
- Size 10 – Yellow tag – 80 hours
- Size 13 – Orange tag – 240 hours
- Size 312 – Brown tag – 175 hours
- Size 675 – Blue tag – 300 hours
To ensure the longest life for your batteries when they’re in the hearing aid, turn the hearing aid off when you’re not wearing it. To ensure the longest shelf life for hearing aid batteries you’ve purchased but have not used yet, store them indoors, at room temperature, and in their original, unopened packaging.