This mistake that we all make with our phone charger quickly causes the electricity bill to rise

Charging your smartphone has become a daily ritual for millions of French people. But it's time to abandon this very common practice that increases your electricity bills.

Recharging your smartphone is one habit among many others that punctuates our daily lives. As soon as the battery of our cell phones starts to die, it starts to run out. empty itself, the reflex is always the same: plug the device into an outlet using its charger. It is estimated that recharging a mobile phone takes on average one to one week. twice a day. This all depends on usage and capacity. of the battery.

Such methods necessarily represent a cost which is reflected in your invoices. The transport network manager (RTE) estimates that a telephone charger consumes on average 0.015 kWh for a charging cycle of 3 ;nbsp;hours and a charger with a power of 5  watts. Over one year, this represents an annual consumption of 5.48 kWh, or an expense of 1.38 euros at the regulation rate. ;eacute; EDF. This amount remains very low on your invoices, but a common practice can very easily increase it.

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Once the device is fully charged, we all tend to unplug it. So far, everything is fine, except that the charger remains plugged into the socket most of the time. What might surprise you is that the charger consumes electricity even if it is not connected to a device. Electricity consumption remains low, but it can be significant if there are many chargers plugged in within a household.

In 2022, the electricity supplier English: Engie conducted an experiment with six chargers plugged into a power strip simultaneously. The results were that the average consumption of these chargers over a year represented an additional 40 cents on an electricity bill. At a time when the price of electricity continues to increase, all tricks are good to take to lower the price of your bill.

In addition to making you lose money, it turns out that chargers plugged in continuously are dangerous for the planet. They accumulate heat and, if overheated, can cause fires. Poor quality or poor condition of the product can increase this risk. In addition to this, a plugged-in charger can be harmful to the charger itself. It deteriorates more quickly and becomes less efficient. For safety reasons, we recommend that you remember to unplug your chargers after each use.