Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The revolutionary device in our hands is quietly making a big impact on the city's electricity usage. Around 30 lakh mobile phones in Indore are together consuming electricity worth Rs 2 crore every month, according to estimates by Madhya Pradesh Electricity Distribution Company which are based on average charging patterns and power usage.
While charging a mobile phone may cost just a few paise per cycle, the cumulative effect of scores of phones being charged multiple times a day is significant. On average, a smartphone is charged two to three times a day. With newer chargers drawing up to 60 watts—ten times more than the 6-watt chargers used just five to seven years ago—the overall power consumption has grown sharply.
"The city’s mobile users alone are consuming electricity worth Rs 6-8 per person per month. This totals to about Rs 7–8 lakh per day and nearly Rs 2 crore every month, just for charging phones," said an electricity department official.
The increased power demand is being attributed to the rise of fast-charging technologies, heavier app usage, constant uploading/downloading, gaming and streaming, all of which drain batteries faster and require more frequent charging.
In terms of power units, mobile phone charging alone is estimated to consume nearly 30 lakh units of electricity every month.
Vinay Pratap Singh, executive engineer of Indore’s North Zone, said that while chargers are low-consumption devices, their frequent use significantly adds to the power load. “During summer, overall electricity consumption rises. If each family charges multiple devices several times a day, it can easily lead to the use of two to four additional units a month just from mobile chargers,” he explained.
To put this into perspective, a 100-watt bulb running for 10 hours consumes one unit of electricity, which costs Rs 7.5. If three or four mobile chargers are used daily in a home, the monthly cost can range between Rs 10 to Rs 15 per household, just from charging phones.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg when tablets, laptops and other gadgets are included, the overall digital power footprint becomes even more staggering, Singh said
