Green Thumbs: How to Save Energy When Charging
The environment affects all of us, and reducing emissions has become one of the great issues of our time. Although consumer electronics are less power-hungry than things like clothes dryers or electric heaters, they are extremely widespread.
A household will often have several devices plugged in at any given time, and replicated across the country that‘s a lot of power being drawn. Everybody has a part to play when it comes to saving energy, and AUKEY has made some big steps in this area in recent years.
The Omnia Advantage
When it comes to saving energy in wall chargers, it‘s all about gallium nitride (GaN). AUKEY has been a pioneer in this field, and has developed the cutting-edge AUKEY OmniaChip™ chipset for the Omnia series of chargers. Each charger with this chip offers massive improvements in size, weight, and energy efficiency. In the past, we‘ve covered how GaN can shrink powerful chargers to improbable sizes, but the improvements in energy efficiency are just as impressive.
Put simply, GaN is a much better semiconductor than silicon. It offers a much wider bandgap and has 1000 times better electron mobility. This means that much less effort is needed to get the current moving, leading to faster current flow and greatly reduced heat and energy waste.
If the charger feels hot you know that power is being wasted, and traditional silicon chargers can get very hot especially the more high-powered versions. Powerful GaN chargers such as AUKEY‘s Omnia Mix 65W keep cool even at high loads, meaning the energy is going into your device and not inadvertently heating your room.
Cables Are Important Too
The humble cable is often overlooked, but it‘s essential to the charging process and can make a big difference in charging efficiency. A low-quality copper cable will cause a lot of energy wastage in the journey from the charger to your device, particularly if the cable is long and current is high. When using a powerful USB charger (around 45W and above) we always recommend using an E-mark certified cable. Not only does this guarantee a higher level of quality and energy efficiency, but using an uncertified cable for fast-charging is also potentially dangerous, with the very real potential for the cable to catch fire or for your device to become damaged.
Aside from using higher quality components, AUKEY also uses advanced Graphene Skin technology in some of our cables. Graphene is a so-called “wonder material” that displays immense strength despite being incredibly thin. This allows cables to be extra-strong while having improved heat dissipation and efficiency. AUKEY‘s Impulse Braided C-L and Impulse Braided C-C come equipped with this technology.
Don‘t Fall for Cheap Alternatives
When it comes to energy efficiency in charging tech, the main takeaway is that cheaper isn‘t always better! Find energy plan depending on individual circumstances, preferences, and needs. Low-quality materials result in a high degree of energy waste, and advanced materials like GaN and graphene can help a lot. Check out our Omnia series of chargers for the best example of energy efficiency in modern wall chargers.
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