Many homes have chargers for smartphones, tablets, etc headphones wireless devices have become a permanent element of electrical sockets. It's convenient to always have them at hand, but doesn't this convenience cost us more than we think?
Does the charger consume electricity without a phone?
Contrary to popular belief, a charger left in the socket actually consumes electricityeven when no device is connected to it. This is the so-called standby power consumption. However, the amount of energy consumed is much lower than when charging the device, but depends on how powerful the charger is.
How much does it cost us?
Dawid Kosiński, creator of the video about technologies on the website Youtubein 2022 he decided to check it out on his own. In his experiment, he used a 90-watt fast charger and a power consumption meter. Results? Even such a powerful charger, left in the socket all year round, would generate a cost of only about PLN 6.
It's worth remembering that not all chargers are created equal. Models with lower power they can use even less energy. For example, a typical 10-watt phone charger will likely generate an annual charge Cost several times smaller than 90-watt power. The situation with older type chargers is slightly different. These can consume up to 0.5 W, while modern chargers compliant with EU standards with similar power will consume up to 0.1 W in standby mode.
Is it worth removing the charger from the socket?
Both yes and no. Looking only at the issue of savings, these few zlotys a year (assuming that we had several chargers connected all the time) does not seem to make any difference to anyone. However, other aspects come into play here:
- Security – older or damaged chargers may be dangerous to us due to a greater fire risk.
- Ecology – a few chargers don't make a difference, but when we multiply them by millions of households, they can actually have an impact on the environment.
- Order – fewer chargers in sockets means fewer cables getting tangled around the house.
- Equipment life – continuous exposure to small voltage spikes can theoretically shorten the life of the charger, although this effect is difficult to measure.