The ghost consumption of leaving your mobile all night could cost you 60 euros on the light bill

The proper use of loaders for our mobiles has become a matter of interest. Not only to preserve the useful life of these devices, but also to minimize the environmental impact … and that of the light invoice. And yes; Like other devices, leaving the mobile loading throughout the night can have an impact of up to 60 euros per year on your bill.

But this goes further. The last report of the National Statistics Institute, INE, has shed light on the consequences of the misuse of these devices, highlighting not only the unnecessary consumption of energy but also the potential dangers for users and their mobiles. These range from possible dangers to terminal damage.

The ghost consumption of energy in mobiles and other devices come to suppose 5 euros on average per month, 60 per year

As regards its consumption, according to Endesa and Red Electrica data, who transports all the electricity from the generation points to the distribution network, the use of loaders towards our mobiles or tablets, especially when we leave it all night, generates an estimated energy consumption at 0.030-0.040 (KWh) for a complete load.

Of course, at first glance this figure may seem insignificant, especially if compared to the total electric consumption of a home. However, this phenomenon known as the ‘ghost consumption’ of energy adds to the general energy expenditure of the house, contributing between 7 and 11% of the total electrical consumption of an average home.

Given this, these ghost expenses come to half a half euros per month, or what is the same, about 60 euros a year, according to Endesa. This data becomes relevant when considering the set of devices that are usually kept at rest, known as mode Standbysuch as televisions, microwave and computers.

Occurs in devices that continue to consume energy at rest or Standby

In most cases, even in the most modern, they make it connected to the current. This type of consumption occurs in devices that continue to consume energy to maintain certain active functions, such as watches, indicator lights, remote sensors or to be able to get up quickly

Likewise, and although the device is disconnected, if the charger is still plugged in, a small amount of energy continues to circulate, which not only represents an unnecessary expense, but also increases the risk of overheating the components, with the consequent danger of fire.

The devices that have this consumption are the following:

• TVs. Even if they are turned off, they can consume energy to keep the standard for remote control.
• Loaders Of mobile or portable devices that remain plugged without being connected to the device.
• Video game consoles, DVD/Blu-ray players and sound systems that have indicator lights or watch functions.
• Appliances Such as microwaves or coffee makers who have digital screens or watches.
• Computers and peripherals. Even when they are turned off, they can consume energy for functions such as battery load or fast ignition capacity.
• Current adapters. Those who remain connected even if they are not loading any device.

How to avoid this consumption

As we see, ghost consumption can represent a significant part of the total use of a home. And although the individual consumption of each device can be small, the sum of all can result in an additional costable cost on the electricity bill over time. To reduce ghost consumption, measures like these can be taken:

• Disconnect the devices when they are not in use.
• Use plug struts with switch to turn off several devices at the same time.
• Buy devices with better energy efficiency and lower consumption in waiting mode.
• Use intelligent plugs that cut the current automatically.