Are you in the habit of leaving your phone charger plugged into the electrical outlet even when you’re not using it to charge? Here’s what it’s costing you on your electricity bill.
Like almost everyone these days, you probably have one or more chargers at home to charge phones, tablets, headphones, wireless speakers or even smartwatches. And to avoid handling, you may leave them permanently plugged into electrical outlets so that the USB cable can be quickly connected to your devices when you need to charge them. It’s so much more practical!
Except here’s the thing: even when they’re not being used for charging, chargers consume electricity, simply by being plugged in. And over the days, weeks and months, this “residual” – and totally useless – consumption ends up adding up. And it’s added to the other consumption on your electricity bill.
The question then is how much exactly is this consumption? Or, more pragmatically, how much does it cost per year to leave a charger plugged into the socket when no phone is charging.
Actually, not much. But it all depends on the year the charger was manufactured. and the standards it meets. Indeed, a European Union directive imposes requirements on electronics sold in the EU, including the amount of electricity a charger can consume when not in use. If the charger is from 2010, the standby consumption can reach 0.5 W. From 2011 to 2022, it must be limited to a maximum of 0.30 W. While after 2022, it must not exceed 0.10 W.
If we take the case of a recent charger, from 2022, which would operate 24 hours a day without being used; its consumption for one year (365 days) amounts to 0.1 x 24 x 365, or 876 Wh (or 0.876 kWk). Based on EDF’s Blue tariff of 25 cents per kWh, this makes 0.876 x 25 cents, or 22 cents. A ridiculous cost, then!
With a charger produced between 2011 and 2022, the annual consumption rises to 2.6 kWh or 65 cents, which is still very low. And with a 2010 model, the consumption reaches 4.3 kWh or 1.1 euros per year. So not enough to break the bank! But be careful, if the price of electricity goes up, these costs increase. For example, if the kWh goes up to 50 cents, you will have to multiply all these amounts by 2.
Finally, if you have a very old charger, dating from before the EU directive, the standby consumption can be considerably higher. For example, you can still find chargers consuming 0.75 W or even 1 W or more, which results in an annual cost of more than 1.6 euros. Admittedly, it is still not huge. But if you have several that you leave plugged in all the time, it ends up being a lot of money wasted. Not to mention the waste of energy for the planet.
Last tip: absolutely avoid the unbranded candy-colored chargers that are sold on Amazon and Wish for example. Most of these devices are of very poor quality, without respect for European standards, despite the presence of self-bonding or CE marking. There is often no protection for the electronics. And in case of overheating, the risk of fire is real.