Over the last few years, the availability and prevalence of rechargeable hearing aids has come on in leaps and bounds. They are not only more convenient for the user, they can be more cost effective and better for the environment.
Rechargeable devices are something we use daily, from smartphones to toothbrushes, without even thinking about it. The convenience of a rechargeable device relies on a charge lasting for a reliable length of time (depending on how frequently we use them). Hearing aids are now capable of delivering what we need and more.
Why do hearing aids use so much battery power?
A normal hearing aid battery uses approximately 1.4v. However, a rechargeable battery increases this power allowing the hearing aid to perform additional processes.
As a comparison, a battery-powered hearing aid performs 2-3 hundred million calculations per second compared to 700 million hundred per second for a rechargeable hearing aid. More than doubling the performance capability of a rechargeable aid.
To put the calculations needed into perspective, a hearing aid processes more information per second than the computers used to land a rocket on the moon!
How does battery use impact the environment?
An average of 660 million batteries are bought each year in the UK, that’s approximately 21 batteries per household. However, on average only 2% are recycled.
98%, therefore, end up at the landfill. Most batteries will release mercury, lead and cadmium into the environment causing water and soil contamination.
Rechargeable batteries are less harmful because fewer ‘batteries’ need to be manufactured and ultimately enter the waste process. A study by Uniross in 2007 found rechargeable batteries are 28 times less impactful to the environment than alkaline batteries and have 30 times less impact on ozone pollution.
What can a rechargeable hearing aid do?
How hard you work your hearing aid will determine how long a battery lasts, but the important factor is a single charge will easily last at least a full day. When you tuck yourself into bed you simply ‘tuck’ your hearing aid into its recharging case and it will be fully charged in the morning – ready to go when you are! Some recharging cases have a rechargeable battery in them so if you are away you can charge from the case – there’s no need to plug them into a wall socket.
There’s no need to let the battery discharge before recharging, and the batteries can charge and discharge hundreds of times over the lifetime of the hearing aid with minimal impact on the recharging capability. Most often the technology moves fast enough that it will be outdated before the battery becomes a problem.
This battery life also means the hearing features and capabilities of the hearing aids are much improved than even the latest technology of hearing aids using disposable batteries.
Explore a rechargeable hearing aid yourself, with our 30-day, no obligation, free trial. Contact us to arrange a trial.
