Have you got a draw full of obsolete mobile phone chargers? Every different brand of phone seems to have a different design of charger. But now the phone industry has tackled the problem.

From 2012, most manufacturers (with the notable exceptions of Apple and HTC) will adopt the micro-USB standard.

This is great for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Adopting a standard charger should half the number of chargers produced every year. Standardization should save carbon emissions as an estimated 51 tonnes of chargers won’t be necessary.

Economies of scale from manufacturing a single standard charger should mean savings in greenhouse gas emissions from the reduced production and transport costs. These carbon savings are estimated to be a staggering 13.6 million to 21.8 million tons of greenhouse gases every year.

For the consumer, there’s another advantage as well as the convenience of the new chargers. They’re likely to at least three times more efficient than existing models.

And as they’re likely to be used longer, manufacturers selling in the European Union are likely to save money. EU legislation makes manufacturers responsible for recycling old electrical equipment, so fewer chargers means less to recycle.

A win, win situation all round!

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1.Consider buying a laptop and docking station instead of a new desktop – laptops are much more energy efficient.

2.Look for the Energy Star logos on any computer equipment you buy – products with the Energy Star logo must use power below set levels and go into ‘hibernation’ when switched on but not in use.

3.Get rid of computer screensavers – they consume unnecessary power.

4.Buy a photocopier that uses low melting-point inks – the lower the temperature that fuses the toner to the paper, the less power that is used.

5.Switch off electrical equipment when it’s not being used – the average office could save about £6000 a year by doing this according to the Carbon Trust.

6.Check your office’s energy use – install an energy monitor so that you can accurately measure the amount of energy actually being used.

7.Use LCD monitors – they use far less energy than traditional cathode-ray tube models. They also have other benefits for global warming – they’re lighter, use less packaging and so use less energy to transport.

8.Check the power consumption of your fax machine in standby mode – fax machines spend most of their time waiting for faxes, so low energy consumption in standby mode saves money and carbon emissions.

9.Get |Green Electricity – sign up up for your energy company’s green tariff so tat your office’s electricity is coming from eco-friendly sources.

10. Don’t turn the heating up unless you need to – a one degree increase can raise your heating bills by 8%.

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