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Can changing the way you charge your phone save you money?
With energy prices going up and up, so many of us are more closely examining how much energy we use.
Almost everyone has a mobile phone, and given how much we use them, we know that people have been wondering whether there's a cost saving to be made by how they charge theirs.
We decided to find out by investigating the cost of charging a mobile phone when you need it versus charging it overnight.
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Charging a mobile phone differently, what's the price difference?
We took four different mobile phones of different ages and brand and measured the kilowatt hours of energy used for three popular charging scenarios:
Charging overnight We put each phone on to charge when it got down to 20% battery remaining, and left it on charge for seven hours.
Charging when you need it (20 to 100%) We put each phone on to charge when it got down to 20% battery remaining. We left it on charge and then unplugged it when the phone reached 100%.
Charging when you need it (30 to 80%) We put each phone on to charge when it got down to 30% battery remaining. We left it on charge and then unplugged it when the phone reached 80% charged.
Here's what we found:
| Method of charging | Average cost per charge | Average yearly cost | Yearly savings by switching from 'charging overnight' to this method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charging overnight | 0.47p | £1.70 | n/a |
| Charging when you need it (20 to 100%) | 0.36p | £1.34 | £0.36 |
| Charging when you need it (30 to 80%) | 0.22p | £1.31 | £0.39 |
| Table notes Average mobile phone age: three years. Average mobile phone battery capacity: 2,991mAh. Average yearly cost: assumed a mobile phone is charged 365 times in a year (584 times a year if 'charging when you need it 30 to 80%'). Electricity unit price 33.2p/kWh | |||
Charging a mobile phone costs less than a penny per charge. Leaving it plugged in overnight uses a little more energy but the most our quick investigation showed you could save was an average of 39p a year if you charge your phone when you need it.
If you have multiple phones in your home, or feel charging your phone using the least energy possible is something you want to do, then it will keep a few more pennies in the bank, but it's not going to make a big difference to your energy bills.
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How to save money on energy at home
Given that changing the way you charge your mobile phone isn't going to make a significant saving as energy bills rise, we asked Emily Seymour, Which? sustainability editor, what changes would make a difference around the home.
Emily said: 'For most households the biggest energy guzzlers through the winter are central heating and appliances such as tumble dryers.'
Her advice on the best place to focus your energy saving is to make sure your home is as insulated and draught-proofed as possible, so that the heat you generate stays inside. 'Many households could also make savings while staying warm with a simple boiler adjustment you can do yourself in minutes.'
And if you find you're unable to pay your energy bills this winter? 'Reach out to your energy provider,' Emily says. 'It's obliged to help you with a payment plan you can afford, and may be able to grant you access to hardship funds or other financial support.'
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How can you make your mobile phone cost less?
While the way you charge your phone isn't going save you lots of money, some manufacturers offer optimisation features they claim will help your battery perform better for longer. This could save you money in the long term, says Amy Axworthy Which? mobile phone expert.
'These can include automatically saving your battery at certain times of day.' Look under at the battery section in your phone's settings to see what your phone offers.
If you notice the battery life degrading but you love your current handset, replacing your phone battery is cheaper than getting a new phone.
'A replacement iPhone battery costs £49 to £69,' says Amy. 'And a OnePlus battery can be as little as £12.' See more on how to repair your smartphone.
For more sizeable savings, Amy's advice is to shop around for the best-value mobile phone contract by comparing the best mobile phone and Sim-only deals we've found.
Read: How to switch mobile provider
How we measured energy use and how you can too
Your mobile phone(s) at home might give slightly different energy use figures depending on factors such as age, battery size, brand and how you use it.
We plugged mobile phone chargers into an energy (or power) meter, which measures the total kilowatt hours used to get our measurements.
We used the RS PRO energy meter, £28, from RS Components. If you're interested in measuring your mobile phone or other appliances around your home, you can buy similar meters starting from around £18 from popular retailers such as Amazon and Screwfix.
If you have a smart meter, you can also use its in-home display to track your devices' energy use in real time.
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