The majority of smaller electronic gadgets is powered via a small battery. Be it a pad, a remote control, a flashlight – they just won’t work without energy. If you want to ensure your equipment has power, you need to select the correct product first. Two solutions are currently available on the market – disposable batteries and rechargeable AA batteries. What’s the difference? Keep on reading to check which option is worth investing in!

In this article you will find out:

  • how rechargeable batteries differ from their disposable versions,
  • what the annual costs related to using disposable batteries are,
  • what the annual cost of using rechargeable batteries is.

 

The differences between disposable and rechargeable batteries

Actually, you already know the basic difference between AA/AAA batteries and their disposable versions – we’ve already given you a hint in the header. Of course, we’re talking here about the possible number of times you can use the product after it went flat. As far as disposable batteries are concerned, once they go flat, they can’t be used anymore, and the only thing you can do with them is to dispose of them. It’s different in the case of rechargeable batteries, which, after they go flat, you just need to charge fully so as to enjoy using all your electronic gadgets.

Among the other aspects which distinguish these two types of batteries from each other are:

  • their chemical composition,
  • their structure,
  • their physical properties.

Rechargeable vs. disposable batteries

We do realize how hard it is to give up your current habits. If you haven’t had any contact with rechargeable batteries before and you’ve only been using alkaline batteries for all your equipment, you won’t be likely to change your attitude just like that. This is why we’ve decided to give you some data owing to which you’ll find out it’s worth investing in AA/AAA batteries!

Let’s take several types of equipment and the number of batteries you need to power them into consideration:

  • a TV remote control – 2 batteries,
  • a game controller – 2 batteries,
  • a small toy for your child – it depends on the type of toy here, but for the purposes of our study, let’s assume we need 6 batteries.
  • a computer mouse – 1 battery,
  • a clock – 1 battery.

And so, the equipment we’ve selected needs a total of 12 batteries. If we choose rechargeable batteries, we need to buy a battery charger for them as well – for example, you can choose the VitalCharger, which you can easily find on our website.

If so, we need to take into consideration the price of the rechargeable batteries (38,85 pounds), as well as the price of the aforementioned charger (18,95 pounds). All of this means that the total annual cost of using AA/AAA batteries is 57,80 pounds. Let’s not forget that they can be recharged, and the batteries themselves can be reused up to several hundred times.

We need to do some more counting in the case of regular disposable batteries. What we need to do first is estimate how many batteries we’ll be needing a year:

  • a TV remote control – 4 batteries,
  • a game controller – 24 batteries,
  • a small toy for your child – 12 batteries,
  • a computer mouse – 4 batteries,
  • a clock – 1 battery.

This gives us a total of 45 batteries, which means a cost of 90 pounds, taking into consideration the fact that 1 battery costs around 2 pounds – naturally, the price can differ depending on the brand you choose. We don’t need a charger in this case, so the total annual cost is 90 pounds.

As you can see, disposable batteries are surely much cheaper than their rechargeable versions. Considering the following months, we can conclude that purchasing AA/AAA batteries along with a dedicated charger is an investment for years.

Summary

The prices of the rechargeable batteries themselves don’t differ from their disposable counterparts, and what makes them the winner is their main advantage – you can keep reusing them. However, remember that if you decide to stick to alkaline batteries anyway, always utilize the used-up batteries in places which are designated for this. You also have the option of selecting their eco-friendly alternative, meaning AA/AAA rechargeable batteries. Forget about the pile of used-up batteries – choose  rechargeable batteries and invest in additional energy with your own dedicated charger!