It is a habit of many people to leave the charger connected to the switch board after the mobile is fully charged. In many homes the charger remains plugged in from morning till night, even if the mobile is not connected to it. In such a situation, the question arises whether the empty charger also consumes electricity? The answer is yes, but usually very little. The electronic circuitry inside the charger can draw a small amount of standby power when connected to power. However, in modern and good quality chargers this consumption is quite less.
When the charger is plugged into the socket, its circuit remains connected to the power supply. Charging is not happening when the mobile is not connected, but the power circuit of the charger is not completely isolated. Due to this reason, small amount of electricity may be consumed. This is commonly called no-load or standby power consumption.
However, this does not mean that the charger is continuously drawing enough power to charge the mobile. The consumption is very low when the mobile is not connected. Therefore, it is not right that the monthly electricity bill suddenly increases by just keeping one charger plugged in.
now understand the calculations
Suppose the average consumption of a charger in an empty state is 0.1 watts and it remains plugged in for 24 hours every day. Then his electricity consumption in 30 days will be:
0.1 × 24 × 30 ÷ 1000 = 0.072 units
That means only about 0.07 units in a month.
For example, if the electricity rate is considered to be ₹ 8 per unit, then the expenditure will be around ₹ 0.58 per month. This means that by keeping a charger plugged in continuously, its cost alone does not reach even around Rs 1 per month. But this is just a calculation. Actual consumption will depend on the model of the charger, its design and standby power.
Then why is it advised to remove the charger?
In terms of saving electricity, the impact of mobile charger alone is very small. But only one charger is not plugged in at home. TVs, set-top boxes, Wi-Fi routers, laptop adapters, speakers and other electronic devices can also draw standby power. Small consumption from multiple devices can add up to total power usage. Therefore, switching off the appliances which are not needed or unplugging them can be an easy habit to save electricity.
Where will the real savings be in terms of chargers?
If your aim is to reduce the electricity bill, then you should pay more attention to big electrical appliances than mobile chargers. For example, AC, geyser, heater, electric iron, microwave and long running cooler-fans consume more electricity.
That is, removing the empty mobile charger may definitely save some electricity, but if you want a big difference in the bill, then reducing the time of using high-powered devices would be a more effective way.
Does charging your mobile overnight use a lot of electricity?
This is also a common question. When the mobile is charged overnight, after the phone is full, the charging system reduces the power significantly or controls the charging. Therefore, leaving the phone connected for 8 hours does not mean that the charger will continue to draw power at its maximum capacity for the entire 8 hours.
Still, for the safety of the phone and charger, it is better to use a good quality charger and cable. Very cheap or counterfeit chargers may have weak safety standards.
So is it necessary to unplug the charger?
If we just look at the electricity bill, keeping a mobile charger connected to an empty plug reduces the expenses. Therefore, it would not be right to consider it as the big villain of the electricity bill. But it is a good habit to switch off or remove the charger when you go out of the house or when it is not in use for a long time. This also eliminates small standby consumption and this precaution can also be useful from the point of view of electrical safety.
