95% of energy utilized by cell phone chargers is wasted. Only 5% of the energy is used actually charging the phone, while the rest is consumed by continuing to pull electricity out of the wall socket after the unit is fully charged (even in stand by mode).
According to Future Forests, an organization that offsets carbon emissions by planting, that’s more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and well over 50,000 tons in the UK that could be avoided if we all just unplugged our chargers once our phones were fully charged.
Think of the impact if we all did this! Ready? One, two, three, unplug! Couldit be any simpler?Michael Graham Richard at treehugger.com tells us, “If you have a cellphone, have you ever noticed that your charger stays warm even when you are not charging your phone with it? That’s because it is still draining electricity.”In addition to needlessly increasing greenhouse gas emissions, leaving our chargers plugged into the wall everyday wastes money and it adds to the pollution made by burning fossil fuels.
This step isn’t just for your cell phone. It also applies to your iPod, camera, rechargeable batteries, computers, video games—anything using a charger.
With an estimated 190 million cell phones in the U.S. each drawing a watt of power, if we all unplugged all of these chargers after use, it would save up to 190 megawatts per day, says The Green Guide. “That’s enough to power approximately 100,000 homes.” If we did the same with all our other electronic devices, we could save enough to power a small U.S. city.
Yes, even many home electronics without chargers drain energy, when nplugged into the electric socket and in the “Off” position. These appliances draw energy to stay in ready mode so they will have the same setting as when you turned them off.
Surprisingly, these plugged-in, unused appliances make a. tremendous impact. According to the U.S.Department of Energy, approximately 75% of the electricity used for home electronics is consumed when they are turned off!
To make this step simpler, plug several appliances into a power strip, so you can easily turn them all off with the flick of a switch each night. But however you do it, pull the plug. (Go do it now!)
Erzsebet Frey (Eli Frey) is an ecologist and online entrepreneur with a Master of Science in Ecology from the University of Belgrade. Originally from Serbia, she has lived in Sri Lanka since 2017. Eli has worked internationally in countries like Oman, Brazil, Germany, and Sri Lanka. In 2018, she expanded into SEO and blogging, completing courses from UC Davis and Edinburgh. Eli has founded multiple websites focused on biology, ecology, environmental science, sustainable and simple living, and outdoor activities. She enjoys creating nature and simple living videos on YouTube and participates in speleology, diving, and hiking.