Reader Tony Woodhouse takes issue with recent green-tinged suggestions that phone users should unplug their chargers when they are idle.

“The argument against leaving them plugged in all the time is fallacious - in winter at least,” Woodhouse says. “Most people leave chargers switched on in thermostatically-controlled heated rooms, so the power dissipated as heat is presumably offset by a matching reduction in the energy needed to keep the room at temperature.”

Woodhouse suggests that users plug all their chargers into a row of sockets under their desk, to make a toasty foot-warmer. “Me and the wife have different mobiles and Bluetooth headsets so we need four chargers,” he concludes, “so I'm looking forward to substantially reduced heating bills this winter!

06 Dec 2006