How much does it cost to run a phone charger?
A phone charger drawing 5 watts, used 2 hours a day, uses about 0.01 kWh per day and costs about <$0.01 per day, $0.06 per month, and $0.70 per year at the US average residential rate of 19.3¢/kWh. Enter your own wattage, hours, and state below for an exact figure.
Estimates only — based on typical wattages and average state rates, not your actual bill.
What drives the cost
Charging a phone uses a trivial amount of electricity — a few watt-hours a day. Modern chargers also draw essentially nothing when idle, so unplugging them saves almost nothing despite the persistent 'vampire power' advice.
Cost at different daily usage
Same phone charger at 5 watts, run for different amounts of time, at 19.3¢/kWh.
| Usage | kWh/day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h/day | 0.01 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.03 | $0.35 |
| 2 h/day | 0.01 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.06 | $0.70 |
| 3 h/day | 0.01 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.09 | $1.05 |
| 4 h/day | 0.02 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.12 | $1.41 |
Cost by model power draw
Not all models are equal. At 2 h/day, here is what the range costs.
| Model | Power | kWh/day | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-draw model | 3 W | 0.01 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.04 |
| Typical | 5 W | 0.01 kWh | <$0.01 | $0.06 |
| High-draw model | 30 W | 0.06 kWh | $0.01 | $0.35 |
Cost by state
A phone charger at 5 W for 2 h/day, priced at each state's average residential rate.
| State | Rate | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.60 |
| Alaska | 28.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.09 | $1.05 |
| Arizona | 15.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.56 |
| Arkansas | 14.3¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.52 |
| California | 33.6¢ | <$0.01 | $0.10 | $1.23 |
| Colorado | 17.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.62 |
| Connecticut | 24.2¢ | <$0.01 | $0.07 | $0.88 |
| Delaware | 18.5¢ | <$0.01 | $0.06 | $0.67 |
| District of Columbia | 25.2¢ | <$0.01 | $0.08 | $0.92 |
| Florida | 15.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.55 |
| Georgia | 16.3¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.59 |
| Hawaii | 48.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.15 | $1.75 |
| Idaho | 13.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.50 |
| Illinois | 19.2¢ | <$0.01 | $0.06 | $0.70 |
| Indiana | 16.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.61 |
| Iowa | 16.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.58 |
| Kansas | 15.3¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.56 |
| Kentucky | 13.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.50 |
| Louisiana | 12.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.46 |
| Maine | 32.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.10 | $1.18 |
| Maryland | 21.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.07 | $0.78 |
| Massachusetts | 30.5¢ | <$0.01 | $0.09 | $1.11 |
| Michigan | 23.1¢ | <$0.01 | $0.07 | $0.84 |
| Minnesota | 17.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.64 |
| Mississippi | 14.5¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.53 |
| Missouri | 16.1¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.59 |
| Montana | 15.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.55 |
| Nebraska | 13.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.50 |
| Nevada | 12.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.47 |
| New Hampshire | 26.6¢ | <$0.01 | $0.08 | $0.97 |
| New Jersey | 25.2¢ | <$0.01 | $0.08 | $0.92 |
| New Mexico | 16.1¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.59 |
| New York | 29.9¢ | <$0.01 | $0.09 | $1.09 |
| North Carolina | 15.2¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.55 |
| North Dakota | 13.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.49 |
| Ohio | 19.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.06 | $0.71 |
| Oklahoma | 14.3¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.52 |
| Oregon | 16.0¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.58 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.07 | $0.79 |
| Rhode Island | 28.3¢ | <$0.01 | $0.09 | $1.03 |
| South Carolina | 15.5¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.56 |
| South Dakota | 15.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.56 |
| Tennessee | 13.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.50 |
| Texas | 15.9¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.58 |
| Utah | 13.1¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.48 |
| Vermont | 23.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.07 | $0.87 |
| Virginia | 17.6¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.64 |
| Washington | 14.7¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.54 |
| West Virginia | 15.8¢ | <$0.01 | $0.05 | $0.58 |
| Wisconsin | 19.1¢ | <$0.01 | $0.06 | $0.70 |
| Wyoming | 14.4¢ | <$0.01 | $0.04 | $0.52 |
How to cut the cost
- Don't worry about this one; focus effort on heating, cooling, and water heating instead.
- Fast chargers draw more while charging but finish sooner, so total energy is similar.
Compare with related appliances
Monthly cost at typical usage and 19.3¢/kWh.
Questions
Does leaving a charger plugged in waste electricity?
Modern chargers draw a negligible amount when idle — typically a fraction of a watt. Unplugging them is not a meaningful saving.
How do you calculate what a phone charger costs to run?
Multiply its wattage by the hours it runs per day, divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your electricity rate. For a phone charger: 5 W × 2 h ÷ 1,000 = 0.01 kWh per day, which at 19.3¢/kWh is <$0.01 per day.
How many watts does a phone charger use?
Typically 5 watts, with most models falling between 3 and 30 watts. The label on the appliance or its power supply gives the figure for your specific unit.