Charging phone via a usb

datlex

rogerblack wrote: »

Charging a laptop battery during the day and using at night is barking, barking, barking mad.
.

What even if you have solar panels generating free elec and you are at work so nothing else is using the power......

datlex

macman wrote: »

It does amuse me when people concerned about big energy bills list all their electrical devices in intricate detail (tablets, curling tongs, electric pencil sharpeners etc), but frequently fail to even mention how the property is heated and hot watered.
Years of energy information and education has not been entirely effective...

Who has mentioned a big energy bill? Highly amused at this post.

datlex

HappyMJ wrote: »

Cheaper...maybe...but if so the savings are calculated in tenths of pennies per day. A non smart phone mobile phone battery may be 3.7V 800mAh. Charging from empty to full every other day would only cost 6p per year to charge. (3.7V*0.8A*180days) = 0.53kWh per year. Sorry but that's just being too frugal with energy. You need to be looking at bigger items to save money on. Heating is the big one. Anything to do with hot water is another one. Reducing shower times by 5 seconds a day as above in the previous post will save you more than what you are considering.

I appreciate savings may be slim but it was something that interested me. My heating is gas as is my hot water. Heating is on thermostat usually at 19c in winter. Heats up quickly so goes on when I get in. Hot water is on demand. Already saved some on gas. Bulbs are all energy bulbs incl in lamps - those were harder to find but not impossible. I do have a walk in electric shower, have got the time in this down to bare minimum- lather rinse out. (No bath so can't shower over that). My phone is a smart phone....not sure why the figures for a non smart phone. Am guessing people are jumping to conclusions lol

datlex

victor2 wrote: »

As indicated above, it's just not worth it.
Charge the phone/tablet/kindle from a mains adapter during the day when your solar panels are generating if it keeps you happy that you're being energy efficient.
The above 5kWh equates to about an extra 30 minutes under a typical electric shower per year - an extra 5 seconds a day, or save it for a birthday treat perhaps?

Am at work during the day so have to charge phone at night/in eve. These smart phones seem to need charging loads....

victor2

datlex wrote: »

Am at work during the day so have to charge phone at night/in eve. These smart phones seem to need charging loads....

Lots of people charge their phones at work - especially smartphones that only need a USB connection to charge them. Not saying it's right of course, but it has no direct cost to the phone's owner.

Charging your laptop battery in the day to take advantage of your solar panels could be a false economy if you are then only using that to charge a phone. All rechargeable batteries have a finite life in terms of the number of charging cycles they will take.
Why not get an extra battery and mains charger for your phone, which you can then leave at home charging the spare battery in the daytime, if you really want to make use of your solar generated power for that purpose?

datlex

Thanks, I do often charge phone at work but it can run down in the evenings when at home. (prob play with it too much).

I didn't know you could get separate mains chargers for just the mobile battery. Sounds interesting but could be a false economy I'm guessing.

I did think it probably was a case of swings and roundabouts as to which was most energy efficient.

Will continue to test out small and large energy savings on both gas and elec to keep the money in my pocket not in theirs ;-)

macman

datlex wrote: »

Who has mentioned a big energy bill? Highly amused at this post.

I was making a general point about people concerning themselves with tiny economies while sometimes missing the bigger picture.

datlex

Fair enough, my original post was concerned with maximising efficiencies of usage as I said it was NOT about being frugal. I did not say in the original post, but I already use energy bulbs etc have thermostatic radiators so can heat some rooms less than others eg the hall is on low. This post was not about the big things but about one aspect of the multitude of small things. Savings may be tiny (if they exist) but collective tiny savings which don't incur effort mean savings.

Cardew

datlex wrote: »

Fair enough, my original post was concerned with maximising efficiencies of usage as I said it was NOT about being frugal. I did not say in the original post, but I already use energy bulbs etc have thermostatic radiators so can heat some rooms less than others eg the hall is on low. This post was not about the big things but about one aspect of the multitude of small things. Savings may be tiny (if they exist) but collective tiny savings which don't incur effort mean savings.

Agree with your post.

However the danger IMO is that we get thread after thread with people detailing methods that might(and might not) save tiny amounts, and people reading these threads don't put these tiny savings into context.

As an example, for years on MSE when people are complaining about high electricity bills they invariably state 'and I turn my TV off at the wall'. They are 'brainwashed' into thinking that a TV left on Standby doubles their consumption;)

victor2

datlex wrote: »

I didn't know you could get separate mains chargers for just the mobile battery. Sounds interesting but could be a false economy I'm guessing.

This type of thing:

Of course you'd need a spare battery as well.
Totally agree with it being false economy. You will never recover the cost of the charger and battery by the few pence (a week?) you may save by charging during the day rather than at night.
You'd be paying for the convenience of always having a charged battery available when you needed it.