Expert explains if it’s safe to leave chargers plugged in

A single charger left constantly plugged in uses only a tiny amount of electricity. But when you have several of them in your home, the cost becomes more noticeable. And beyond this "vampire" energy draw, there are added risks to the chargers themselves — and to your home’s safety.

That’s according to a recent article from The Conversation.

What’s the risk of always-plugged-in chargers?

We’re surrounded by smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, headphones, e-bikes, and other battery-powered gadgets. It’s easy to collect a cluster of power adapters permanently stuck in sockets — next to the bed, on a desk, or in the hallway.

But not all chargers are created equal. Depending on their power and purpose, their internal circuitry may be simple or complex. The main job of any charger is to convert alternating current (AC) from a wall socket into low-voltage direct current (DC) suitable for charging your device’s battery. To do that, chargers contain transformers, rectifiers, filters, and control/protection chips.

Electricity in the grid flows back and forth — but batteries prefer a one-way stream. That’s why most modern gadgets come with built-in AC-to-DC converters. As long as a charger is plugged in, its circuitry remains powered, even if no device is attached. This is what’s known as "vampire power" or standby power: each unit consumes a tiny amount of energy, but the total over a year can add up to several kilowatt-hours.

Modern adapters now include sleep modes, helping reduce this energy use. However, electrical grids aren’t perfect: small voltage spikes happen regularly and slowly wear down components. Certified, high-quality chargers are designed to withstand these fluctuations, but cheap knockoffs aren’t — and in the worst cases, they can cause fires.

Experts recommend unplugging adapters when convenient and regularly checking their condition. If a charger gets unusually hot, makes strange noises, or shows visible damage to the plug or cable, it should be replaced immediately — and never left in the socket again.

Previously, we reported that Apple removed a controversial alarm feature in iOS 26.

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