Don’t Worry About Plugged-in Chargers that Aren’t in Use

Posted on 3 March 2018

A lot has been said about the importance of turning off devices and appliances when they aren’t in use. By turning off lights when you leave the room, turning off power strips when you aren’t using them, and unplugging appliances when you’re done, you can truly cut costs and save a lot of wasted energy in the long run.

So, when it comes to chargers that aren’t in use, you probably think about unplugging them to save energy.

But...is it really worth it?

In the case of laptop, phone, and tablet chargers, do you really need to unplug them when they aren’t in use? You may be wasting your time with this habit. Take a look at the information below to see how it’s decided whether or not plugged-in chargers need to be taken care of in an efficient way.

How Much Energy Do Chargers Use?

A variety of energy usage meters were used in a recent study to detect how many volts of electricity were used by various devices and plugs. It was analysed by Repairs.sg, a company providing electrical services in Singapore, where the following types of chargers were tested:

• iPhone chargers

• iPad chargers

• MacBook chargers

• Android chargers

• Android tablet chargers

• Windows laptop chargers

• Chromebook chargers

• Nintendo 3DS chargers


Out of all of the chargers tested, they all showed 0.0 Watts of energy uses. This means that they use absolutely no energy when they aren’t in use! Even when they are plugged in, but not actively charging a device, they use no currents and expend zero energy wasted.

Many appliances around the home can be considered to be vampire appliances, because they will continue to use energy even when they aren’t in use. This use of energy behind the scenes is often what can make the numbers rack up on your monthly phone bill. However, you don’t have to worry when it comes to device chargers. These plugs are not vampires, and won’t cost you a penny extra, even if you leave them plugged in all the time.

How Do Chargers Draw Power?

Even if you have multiple chargers plugged into a single power strip, you will be drawing next to 0.0 Watts of energy per hour. But chargers do still draw energy, of course. The same study that came to the conclusion that chargers draw no power also had the idea to test multiple chargers at once.

Only after six chargers were plugged into the same power strip did a measurable reading come up: 0.3 watts.

So, even after having six chargers plugged in at a time, it only draws a fraction of a watt. This is nothing to be concerned about; in fact, it should be celebrated. You can leave these chargers plugged in as long as you’d like, with no repercussions. There is no risk of electrical damage, since they aren’t drawing any power, and you don’t have to worry about wasting energy, either.

Leaving your chargers plugged in won’t even make a dent in your monthly energy bill.

How Much Money Does it Cost to Leave Chargers Plugged In?

It will only cost you between 10 and 20 cents a year to leave your charger plugged in all year long. It is likely even less, since you aren’t actively using the charger 100% of the time. Even if you have multiple chargers plugged in, it won’t be an issue on your monthly energy bill at all.

There is nothing to worry about when it comes to leaving your chargers plugged in. In fact, since they draw no power, it can be considered a waste of your time to try and unplug them all every time you are done using them. For your convenience, you should just leave them plugged into a convenient location without having to worry. It barely makes a dent on your electricity bill, and it doesn’t have any negative impact on the environment.

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