Enviroplug^® Charge Shield eliminates the problem of chargers left plugged in unnecessarily. Once a mobile phone (for instance) is fully charged, its charger continues to drain power. Manufacturers recommend that chargers are turned off, but people often forget or use them overnight. The Enviroplug^® Charge Shield senses when a phone – or anything else that needs recharging, like an iPod or laptop – is fully charged, and disconnects power.

After ignoring initial power “spikes”, power usage is monitored for 60 second periods. If a drop of 66% or more is detected, power is cut to the charging device. Even if the phone itself is removed from the charger cable, the charger continues to use power. The fact that they get hot when left plugged in is an indication of the power they use. Most chargers do lessen their power consumption when an attached device is fully charged, but some older models are particularly badly behaved and continue to use as much electricity as when charging. In this case, Charger Shield will disconnect power after 3 hours. A small low energy LED indicates the power state of the Enviroplug^® – green for on, intermittent flashing red for off.

There are three models in the range. The standard Charge Shield adapter has a UK three pin plug and accepts a charger with the same three pin plug. There is a second version, Charge Shield 2pin, that accepts chargers with two pin plugs. Charge Shield Euro Edition has a Schuko two pin plug and socket, and is suitable for use in mainland Europe.