Can you leave your smartphone charger plugged into the socket?
Is it true that your smartphone charger continuously uses energy if it's left in the socket unused? And that you can reduce your energy bill by neatly storing your charger after charging? We investigated it for you!
Standby consumption with a charger?
You must have heard of the term 'standby power'. When devices are turned off, but still consume energy, we call that standby power. A clear example of standby power is the television: you constantly see the standby light on. The digital clock of the microwave also consumes electricity. But what about smartphone chargers? Are they also standby consumers?
Old versus new
In the past - let's say in the 1990s - chargers for mobile devices still consumed a considerable amount of power when plugged in without a device connected. You could literally feel this: the electricity was converted into heat, and thus the adapter felt warm. This also posed a fire hazard, by the way.
The current generation of chargers has since been adapted: when there is no smartphone connected to the charger, it consumes only a negligible amount of power, certainly not comparable to the consumption of a TV on standby. The smartphone charger will also feel cold when it is not connected to a device.
Is your charger getting warm?
If you notice that your charger heats up while it is plugged into the socket, it may be defective and it is advisable to replace it with a new one.
If you notice only your cord or connector getting hot during charging, then also be extra careful and purchase a higher quality cord or connector, or make sure to unplug your charger after charging.
Even though the impact on your energy bill is negligible, we still recommend always unplugging your charger.
