Countdown to Christmas, 24 days: O2's energy efficient mobile charger

Mobile Computer skipped down the stairs in our pyjamas this morning and tore open the first door on our jumbo advent calendar to find... an energy efficient universal mobile charger from O2. Beats a chocolate reindeer, we guess.

O2 reckons it's the first of its kind in the UK. Well the first in the UK to be branded by an operator at any rate. It works by cutting the power as soon as your thirsty mobile has had its fill. That, says O2, could save Brits over £30 million a year - assuming we all used one and assuming that every phone in the UK was in service. How many is that you ask, well, according to O2's figures there are more "active" phones in the UK than people - 73 million to be precise. More after the jump...

Still, plug one in and in a year you could save enough energy to brew up 96 cups of tea. It's available now for £14.99 - or for £7.49 with an O2 handset bought before the end of the month. It'll work with Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones for now, with BlackBerries and iPhones to follow.

Press Release:

O2 cuts energy wastage with launch of energy efficient universal mobile phone charger

 

- First product of its kind to be launched by UK operator -

- New charger cuts power when battery fully charged potentially saving Brits over £30m* a year -

- Adaptable leads fit leading brands of mobile phones -

London, UK 1st December 2008: Telefónica O2 UK has today announced the launch of an energy efficient universal mobile phone charger - the O2 Universal Charger. The first product of its kind to be launched by a UK network, the O2 Universal Charger is amongst the most energy efficient in the UK cutting energy consumption by as much as 70 per cent compared to standard mobile phone chargers**.

The O2 Universal Charger, which meets the strict energy efficient guidelines of the US Energy Star rating***, contains a power control system. This system considerably reduces charge to the mobile phone once the battery is fully charged even if the charger is left switched on in a plug socket. O2 estimates that phones left on charge costs Brits over £30m in wasted energy every year. Heat loss from the charger has also been eliminated, another source of significant energy loss from standard mobile chargers.

Recent research conducted by O2 has revealed that a typical mobile phone charger wastes over 2.8 KWh of energy per year. With an estimated 73 million mobile phones in the UK the combined energy saved by all phones using the O2 Universal charger would be enough to make over 7 billion cups of tea. O2 estimates that by cutting off the unneeded charge to mobile phones, the Universal Charger could save the equivalent carbon emissions of over 36,000 cars per annum****.

In addition to being energy efficient, the base unit of the Universal Charger will be accompanied by an inter-changeable leads making the charger compatible with most leading brands of mobile phones and eliminating the need to use a different charger with each mobile *****. It is estimated that there are currently in excess of 100 million mobile phone chargers in the UK.

Ronan Dunne, CEO, Telefónica O2 UK, comments: “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.”

O2’s Universal Charger is now available from all UK O2 stores priced £14.99. It will be available at an introductory discounted price of £7.49 when purchased with an O2 handset until 31st December 2008. Additional connection cables are available for £4.99.

The UK launch of the O2 Universal Charger represents an important first step in a wider global environmental initiative from Telefónica.

- ENDS –

Notes to Editors:

* Total value of energy saved with Universal Charger over 12 months multiplied by total number of mobile phones in use in the UK (73m) = £31,390,000.

**70% improvement over EnergyStar benchmark – the energy consumption of a standard mobile phone charger

***The EnergyStar is a voluntary label, identifying to consumers appliances that meet certain standards regarding energy efficiency. It was originally set up by the US EPA but is now recognised in other countries like Japan, Australia and Korea. In 2001 agreement was reached allowing the recognition of the label across the European Union, allowing partners in the European Union to apply the label via the affiliated EU ENERGY STAR Programme.

**** Total amount of carbon saved with Universal Charger over 12 months (1.496kg CO2 per phone) multiplied by total number of mobile phones in use in the UK (73m) = 109,208,000 kg CO2 / 1000 = 109,208 tonnes CO2 / 2.995 (tonnes of CO2 emitted for average annual mileage of car) = equivalent to annual carbon emissions of 36,463 cars driving 12,000 miles per year.

*****The O2 Universal Charge is currently compatible with Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson devices and will be compatible with BlackBerry and iPhone in early 2009

 

Originally published on www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk, now incorporated into Broadband Genie
© Dennis Publishing

 

 

 

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