- Q: Does my cell-phone charger consume electricity if I leave it
> plugged in to the wall when it's not charging the phone?
Many newer phones have a connector for a USB cable for transfering information like address books, calendars, and pictures. USB generally supplies power. It turns out that many phones will charge while connected to a USB port on a computer. The USB port consumes no additional power, beyond what the computer uses, when nothing is connected to it. So, in addition to saving (a miniscule amount of) power, using USB to charge a phone saves having to lug the charger when travelling.
Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Greed is to the moralists of the snipped-for-privacy@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 left what sex is to the moralists snipped-for-privacy@alumni.caltech.edu of the right." - Cathy Young