How much does it cost to keep your cell phone charger plugged into the wall socket at all times?

To this day, we still have conversations about supposed things we shouldn't do with our phone's battery : using the original charger, fully charging it is bad, fast charging damaging the battery ... among many others. Added to this, another question arises.

What happens if we regularly leave the charger plugged in? Often, we may leave it there simply out of habit or convenience, believing it doesn't incur any extra costs . On the other hand, we may think it uses a lot of energy and, consequently, would add money to our bill .

So how much does it cost to leave your cell phone charger plugged into the wall socket?

When we charge our phone and leave it connected to the power outlet, this phantom power consumption persists simply due to the electronic components in the charging accessory. This is because the charger has internal circuits that transform AC power from the mains into lower-voltage DC power for the phone.

According to companies like Energy Saving Trust , a charger plugged into the wall socket without a phone connected can consume between 0.1 and 0.5 watts per hour . That's 5 to 10 kWh of extra consumption per year, which is equivalent to leaving the TV on for between 50 and 100 hours.

Not only is this extra power consumption the same, but the charger itself, when plugged into the power outlet for many hours, can even overheat . This could lead to damage to the internal components, reducing the device's lifespan .

Furthermore, as reported by the International Energy Agency (IDEA), doing so would result in a monthly saving of 5% on the electricity bill . In short, this simple act of removing the phone charger (which takes a second) saves some money and avoids the aforementioned complications.