Mobile phone chargers get energy ratings

Despite the mobile industry's best efforts, the cellular world isn't always exactly the greenest. Now a phalanx of hardware heavyweights are taking another step towards cutting the carbon footprint of mobile use.

LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson have joined forces to launch a common energy rating system for mobile chargers to alert shoppers which models are the most power hungry.

The system will reveal how much power the chargers uses when plugged into a socket after the phone has finished charging using a star rating - no stars for the most energy guzzling brands, five stars for those who chug down the least electricity.

The ratings are based on the Energy Star system used in the US, as well as the European Commission's energy standards.

In the short term, the information won't be made available on the chargers at the point of sale and will be confined to each manufacturers' website.

Asked if Nokia plans to limit the chargers shipped with its phones to four and five star models, a spokeswoman for the manufacturer told silicon.com: "We are increasing the number of products with four and five star chargers and rolling these out with many high volume products."