There are some things in my routine that I take for granted. Coffee in the morning; a sweet sweet meal deal for lunch; and yes, putting my phone to charge at night.
If you have similar phone-charging habits, you’re likely not alone. Everyone I know seems to top up their battery as they catch some Zzzs – but there seems to be reason upon reason to change our collective charging habits.
Here’s why you should consider changing your charging schedule:
Let’s talk heat
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s absolutely boiling right now.
It’s much harder to sleep when it’s hot out (as I’m sure most of us know), and it turns out that charging your devices and leaving electronics plugged in in your room can add to the warmth.
As AO.com’s small appliance expert, Tori Miller, told Yahoo! Life, “a few devices plugged in create extra heat.”
And Paul Shaw, head of fire investigation at Staffordshire fire rescue, has more bad news for us via The Guardian.
“You shouldn’t tuck phones under pillows or charge them on bedding,” he says. “It’s called thermal runaway in the battery. It self-heats. It keeps going and going. A work surface or wooden side table are fine, because the battery won’t output enough heat.”
So, if you’re worried about excess electrical warmth or sleep with your charging phone under your pillow (guilty), you’ll want to consider either waiting until the morning to charge your phone, or at least move it to a less flammable surface.
Here’s South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s TikTok on the topic:
The risk of fire is heightened in a heatwave, so keep that in mind before you put your device on to charge. As TIME says, “On a hot day, the heat given off by a charging phone can climb to dangerous levels if it’s not allowed to dissipate efficiently. Make sure to charge your phone in the shade, preferably on a hard, cool surface.”
What about my electric bill
It’s safe to say most of us are panicked about the cozzie livs right now.
But it turns out that charging your phone overnight probably won’t up your electric bill too much. Experts put the savings of daylight charging at about 40p per year – so your charging concerns should mainly involve the potential fire hazard.
Fine, fine, I guess I’ll change my ways...