When you purchase a set of rechargeable batteries, you are buying a piece of fairly advanced technology. The result of a simple principle but the most intensive efforts of technological development and refinement, rechargeable batteries have always been a more expensive product over single use (although the rise of USB rechargeable batteries has decreased the price by removing the need for large charging packs). And ever since they have been around, the decision to purchase rechargeable batteries has always been a matter of weighing up whether they are really cost effective. Sure, they can be reused – but is that really worth the added price.
Whatever the situation as it currently stands, it’s only moving in one direction. Innovations in rechargeable batteries have seen their efficiency increase and the price drop. The biggest leap forward came in the early 1990s with the development of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Using a different chemical composition and structure, li-ion batteries have a much higher energy density and lower discharge rate. In other words, they can contain more electrical energy and use it more efficiently. Initially, li-ion batteries were used for the batteries in laptops and other portable electronic devices, but today conventional AA rechargeable batteries make use of lithium-ion transfer.
Yet the question remains – however much rechargeable battery technology is being developed and advanced, are rechargeable batteries really preferable at this moment in time? Do they save you money or cost you extra in the long run?
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When Not to Switch
Rechargeable batteries can certainly save money – but not in all cases. The question that should always be posed when considering swapping conventual batteries for rechargeable alternatives is this: will investing in rechargeable batteries cost me more or less than using conventional batteries over the same length of time?
In a great many cases (perhaps even most), rechargeable batteries are worth the investment from this point of view – but that is not always the case. For example, batteries are used to power a range of very low current-draw devices. Such devices include wall clocks, smoke detectors, and radios. Batteries also power devices that are relatively rarely used, such as emergency flashlights, and so can last a very long time. In such cases, rechargeable batteries are not a particularly economical choice – you would hardly ever be using your charger!
When to Switch
The good candidates for rechargeable batteries, especially modern high efficiency ones, are those devices that use a lot of power, are in frequent use, and require battery replacement on timescales of weeks. Toys, wireless controllers or remotes, and cameras are examples of such products. In these cases, rechargeable batteries make a whole of sense, and are guaranteed to save you money within a short space of time.
Environmental Concerns
But it isn’t all about money. Batteries – rechargeable or otherwise – happen to be very environmentally hazardous products that can be expensive to recycle. The processes involved in recycling batteries are energy-intensive and hazardous.
Yet they are necessary. Batteries contain heavy metals and other toxic chemicals that are bound to cause soil and water contamination if disposed of in the traditional manner.
Pale Blue Earth, a company out of Park City, Utah, sum up the general trend towards more sustainable solutions in their company tagline: “The battery company that wants you to use fewer batteries”. Given the high costs of recycling batteries and the damage they do if not recycled, rechargeable batteries are certainly “worth it” where the environment is concerned.
Ultimately, whether rechargeable batteries are right for you is down to your own personal situation. As the technology only improves, they are certainly not going anywhere.
