14 DAY TRIAL // Wasted energy is a problem we've been trying to deal with for some time, even if, at first, no one strove too hard to come up with solutions for it. After Nokia took a stand in the matter by saying it was going to rate chargers after their energy wasting level, it is now British company O2’s turn, by developing an energy efficient universal mobile charger like the world has never seen before.
This charger's efficiency is so great that it is said to save up to 70% more energy than most mobile chargers. Also it was designed so that it would meet the US Energy Star Rating standard, while its power control system maximizes its efficiency. The idea is that everything works normally until the phone is fully charged, after which it reduces almost altogether the energy going into the device, while also reducing the level of energy wasted when the charger is left plugged in, without any mobile connected to it.
This last one was the main problem until now, for most users do not remove their chargers from the socket, leaving it there for months in a row. As mentioned in a previous article, if all users were to remove their devices and chargers from the socket once the charge is complete, we would save up the amount of energy produced by two mid-sized power plants in a year. Now, by using this new universal charger, the energy wastage will be reduced significantly, and your electricity bill will also be smaller.
Also, the other interesting feature is the inter-changeable leads that allow this device to become a universal one, simply because almost all important brands are compatible with this charger. The appearance of this new type of charger is aimed at lowering the number of such devices, especially considering that, only in the U.K, there are 100 million more chargers than needed.
Ronan Dunne, Telefonica O2 UK, had this to say on the subject: “People are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact products are having on the environment and with mobile the single biggest impact is the energy used in charging. The O2 Universal Charger offers customers a simple yet effective way of reducing the environmental impact of their phones and reduces the waste associated with charger disposal.”
For now, these new devices will be available only in the U.K via O2, at a price of 14.99 Pounds. Should you purchase an O2 mobile as well, the charger will be 7.49 Pounds cheaper until December 31. Extra cables will be priced at 4.99 Pounds. Even if such a charger is available only is the U.K at the moment, it represents a pretty big release, so it will probably come in other parts of the world as well.