Green Technology That Saves You Green - How To Effectively Use Rechargeable Batteries

Cell phone, digital cameras and a host of other electronics are used in just about every business and household. Learn how to effective use rechargeable batteries and save money in this three part series.

Part 1 of 3: Understanding Your Electronic Devices.

To have success with rechargeables,you need to know what you're trying to acheive by using them. How do you plan to use them? More importantly, you must understand the specifics of your portable wireless gear? Let's explore some of the "need to know" rules about your electronic gear in order to effectively use rechargeable batteries.

1. Is it a high drain device? Wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, flash units, digital cameras, CD and MP3 players and other high-drain devices all work just fine with rechargeable batteries. In fact, rechargeable batteries are preferred because of their faster recovery times between power usage. For example, a photo flash unit will recycle faster using rechargeable batteries over a standard alkaline. Also important to note: Many times, the overall strength or capacity of a rechargeable battery (measured in milli-amp hours or mah) is much higher than a standard alkaline battery. Some other examples of high-drain devices are portable fans, paintball guns and hoppers, and portable TV's.

2. Is it a low drain device? Not many people realize that devices such as smoke detectors, wireless mouse and keyboards, video game controllers and remotes can also utilize rechargeable batteries. Personal electronics such as hair trimmers and electric toothbrushes, as well as thermostats, penlights and LED lamps can all use rechargeables. Typically, these devices do not draw a large amount of current and are used intermittently. With new advances in rechargeable technology, just about any household item that uses AA, AAA, 9V, C or D's can be powered by a rechargeable battery.

3. Know your run-time requirements. To properly choose the right rechargeable system, you need to know the run-time requirements of your wireless devices. For example, you may need to run a wireless microphone for 2 hours or 12 hours per use. It may be used daily or once a week. A digital camera used by a professional photographer could use it for 6 - 6 hours or a couple hours twice a month for personal consumption.

4. Here are a few other factors to consider: How long does the device sit dormant or in stand-by? A X-box controller may be used for 3 hours, but only once or twice a week. Do you use your electronics in the same location or are they portable? Is it important to be portable when considering a charging unit? Understanding your pattern of usage and run-time requirements will help in choosing the best batteries and minimize frustration.

5. Finally, estimate what you spend on disposable batteries. Is it $50 or $5000? When we switched all the Cirque du Soleil touring and resident shows over to rechargeable technology, they were spending over $1000 per week in disposable batteries. Talk about saving money! In contrast, a church or school facility may spend $250 -$1000 per year. Even most families spend an average of $150 -$200 per year. As a family, that adds up to over $10,000 in a lifetime! Have you considered where else you could be spending 10K instead of on disposable, throw-away batteries?

Your first step in making the switch to rechargeables is to compile a list of all your wireless gear and classify it by low-drain or high-drain and by battery size. Also jot down a note about your usage pattern for each device. You'd be surprised how many batteries you use in your facility or household -- and how much you can save by making the switch.

In the following articles, we'll instruct on the proper selection of rechargeable batteries - and how to choose the proper ones for each of your electronic devices.