Does SmartThings degrade iPhone battery life

I have started to use my iPhone 5S as a presence sensor. It seems the battery life of my phone is degraded considerably since doing so. Are there any ways to minimize the impact on my phone?

Any apps that use geo-location will use more battery, yes. In the latest version of iOS you can actually see which apps are using the most battery. Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage

If I block geolocation, will the SmartThings be able to use my phone as a presence sensor based on its connection to the wifi network, or will the presence feature completely disappear?

The phone needs geo-location to utilize presence detection. It is enhanced with w-fi turned on but currently cannot only utilize wi-fi.

I have the same problem with the iPhone 5s. Significant batter consumption. It’s the top app on my phone, with 39% battery usage.

Is the SmartThings App geolocation polling smart enough to poll less frequently the farther you are from home? That could significantly cut battery usage.