We continually have to charge devices. We have to charge our cell phone, tablet, an ebook, smart watch, laptop… Sometimes, for one reason or another, we use chargers that are not official. For example, we may have lost or damaged our mobile charger and used a different one. Is that a good idea? We are going to explain to you why you could be using more electricity.
It is true that charging most devices does not require much consumption. However, how many times a year do you charge your phone? And your laptop? So with all devices. You may be spending more than you should simply by using an unofficial charger. Many times, they are known as universal chargers.
Unofficial chargers spend more
The first thing you should know is that yes, unofficial or universal chargers will consume more energy. This is so, since the official ones are tested and optimized for a specific device. They are specifically designed to charge that device, to work with that specific electrical circuit.
When you use an unofficial charger, they are not going to be as effective. They may take longer to charge, but they will also waste energy. Although they are totally different cases, we could say that it is as if you had one pipe to fill a tank and it fits perfectly, while another is of a different size and some water continually escapes.
On the other hand, using unofficial chargers could also damage the devices. The useful life may be shorter, since it could be putting that electrical circuit under greater stress. You might notice that a device, or the battery, starts to fail sooner than it should.
Our advice is that, whenever you can, use official chargers. It will help you use less energy, but you will also avoid problems with your devices. It is especially important in devices that can consume more, having a larger capacity battery.
Savings of up to 30%
According to Endesa, whether or not to use an official charger can mean an extra expense of between 10 and 30%. As we mentioned before, charging a mobile phone or tablet does not cost much in terms of energy. However, if you are going to charge the devices daily, as well as use devices that have more capacity, such as an electric scooter, the difference can be quite notable.
Furthermore, if you want to save more on your electricity bill, we recommend that you unplug the devices whenever you are not using them. Remove the chargers from the power and you will avoid what is known as phantom consumption. It can be up to 10% of the total bill, so you will have another margin to pay less each month.
In short, using unofficial chargers can be a problem if you want to save energy. It could also damage the devices, since they will not work optimally and would be limited. Always check what you are using to charge the equipment. Just as you can insulate your house to save, you can also apply it when using official chargers.
