AT&T masks true energy sucker with Zero Phone Charger

AT&T is enjoying an eco publicity boost for its innovations in energy saving, zero "vampire power" chargers that will supposedly be compatible with just about any smartphone, including the iPhone. The plugged in charger is capable of detecting an unplugged phone and completely cutting off the electrical charge drawn from the wall socket, reducing leaked electricity. So, advantage AT&T in energy efficiency, right? Not so fast.

The product itself is promising. Take an existing flaw in energy consumption and create a product that reduces the amount of energy drawn from the grid.

According to the US Department of Energy, standby energy, or energy wasted while a device is either turned off or disconnected, accounts for 5-10% of all home energy consumption. That 5-10% accounts for all those household appliances like coffee makers, DVD players, TVs, clocks, etc. that never fully turn off. 

Instead, the appliances sit idling, sucking up energy.

To counter the problem, AT&T developed the Zero Charger that doesn't draw energy if the phone is disconnected from the charger. Props to AT&T for making it that much easier to prevent energy waste.

AT&T is missing one very important detail, however, in its "save your planet" stance: the scope of the energy consumption of the phone charger in comparison to AT&T's true energy sucking device.

Let's take the iPhone for instance. The average iPhone has 12 hours of battery talk time on the 2G network and 5 hours on the 3G network. Without any talk time, it's got a standby life of 300 hours. Depending on how the iPhone is used, plan on charging it about once every day or two. It is then recommended that it is left charging overnight as there are no negative impacts to the battery because it can run on AC power.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory claims the average amount of energy consumption of a phone charger when actually charging the battery is 3.68 Watts and 2.24 Watts when the phone is completely charged and the charger is in standby.

So for the iPhone, an average of just under 3 Watts would be used. A pretty small number when you compare it to a device like a digital cable set-top box that averages, when idling, 44.63 Watts with DVR and 24.65 without DVR.

Pretty alarming when you consider one of AT&T's major services is digital TV that yes, includes a set-top box that has some of the best DVR capabilities in the business. The U-verse set-top box can record up to 4 channels at a time. AT&T has made efforts to conform to ENERGY STAR standards and has even been able to produce energy efficiencies, but it is time to truly make innovations by applying Zero technology to AT&T set-top boxes.

So when AT&T posts the headline "save your planet" and showcases the Zero Charger right below it with a blossoming, bright green tree, maybe its time it looks at its entire product line and actually attempts to apply some of that same technology to the set-top box and make a dent in the unsettling household vampire power statistics.