Taking charge: most households have a few things that run on batteries. Powering them with rechargeables helps your wallet and the environment. (Test: rechargeable batteries).(Buyers Guide)(Statistical Data Included)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Australian Consumers' Association

Listening to your personal CD player on the daily commute or keeping the kids entertained with motorised toys can chew through lots of batteries. If a bulk pack of them is a regular item on your shopping list, it's worth trying rechargeables instead in at least some of your devices.

Their upfront costs are comparatively high: they're much more expensive than alkaline non-rechargeables, plus you have to invest in a suitable charger--see The right charger, page 23. But they'll save you money in the long run.

For example, two sets of four of the top rechargeable AA batteries in this test plus a charger will set you back around $90-$100. You could buy around 50-60 non-rechargeable alkalines for that price. If you use battery-operated appliances, toys and so on regularly (getting through, say, a bit more than a set of four per month), you'd be able to recover the cost of the rechargeable set-up within a year or so. You'd also prevent dozens of non-rechargeable batteries from going to landfill.

However, there are differences between types, and not all types are suitable for all purposes.

NICAD AND NIMH

* Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are generally more expensive to buy than nickel cadmiums (NiCads), but most last longer and give you better value for money.

* NiMH batteries are better environmentally than NiCads, because they don't contain the toxic heavy metal cadmium (see Getting rid of old batteries, page 23, for details).

* Both types don't last as long as some non-rechargeable batteries per single cycle--in our tests they lasted between one third and two thirds as long as alkalines, depending on the model and the use. So if a battery that keeps going as long as possible is most important for you, you might still prefer non-rechargeable alkalines. But if you can be organised enough always to have one or more spare charged sets handy, rechargeables will do the job much more cheaply.

* But that also has its limits. Both NiCads and NiMHs lose capacity over time even if they're not used (NiCads tend to self-drain more). So they're not suitable for equipment that's only used occasionally, such as a torch. And you can't leave them in the drawer for extended periods and expect to use them immediately without recharging.

* Certain appliances carry a warning that you can't use them with rechargeables (for example,...

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