Risk of overheating and fire: an underestimated danger

Leaving a charger plugged in, even without a phone connected, can cause it to  overheat . Why? Because it continues to draw power, generating heat. A poor-quality or defective charger can then melt, explode, or even cause a  fire .

A concrete example:  in 2022, a family in Spain saw their house go up in flames because a charger had been left plugged in all night . The cause of the fire? A simple charger that, while heating up, ignited a nearby piece of furniture.

Leaving a charger plugged in unattended is a bit like  leaving a stovetop on  : it might go well most of the time, but  it only takes one time for everything to go wrong .

Phantom energy consumption: a hidden expense on your bill

Even without a device connected, a plugged-in charger consumes electricity, a phenomenon called  phantom power consumption . While the amount of power consumed by an inactive charger is small, it is not zero.

To give you an idea, a charger left plugged in consumes between  0.1 and 0.5 watts per hour . This seems insignificant, but if you have several chargers permanently plugged in, this can represent up to  5 additional kWh per year , or about  €2 to €5 more on your electricity bill .

To limit this unnecessary expense, consider using  power strips with switches  or  smart plugs  that automatically turn off the power when you’re not using them. A small gesture that  can really make a difference in the long run .

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