I have owned 3 of these for about 18 months. I have replaced the batteries in each of them 3 times. I am using a name brand battery so the expectation of 1 year battery life is over exaggerating. I do like the locks but I do keep a key handy when the batteries go dead.
I have taken a new approach after the last battery change -- I'm going to ignore the indicator lights and see how long they will last before they go dead completely.