I am going to make an argument today. I stated in December that I am shifting away from alkaline batteries. This move is not to save the planet, while that is an added bonus, but to save my sanity. This is the tactic that every person that is environmentally conscious should use. In order to get people to switch to an ‘eco’ line of thinking, the evidence should be overwhelmingly beneficial, not because it makes them feel morally superior.

For instance, let us look at electric cars. I have yet to see a compelling argument that this is the replacement for gasoline engines. As far as I can tell, electric cars have a niche in the commuter space. It is super convenient to top off your car at home, at night and if you can get a couple hundred miles range then you have probably handled 75% of the suburban use cases. But, any sort of long range trip or extended weekend is a nightmare. Even in southern California, the mecca of EVs it cannot be done without extreme frustration and pucker factor. That alone is enough for me to say that EV technology is not a replacement for gasoline at this time.

When charging takes five minutes, is ubiquitous and the range is 800 miles now you are speaking my language. It is faster than refueling and goes farther now there is a compelling reason to not buy an EV over a gasoline car. Whether I believe the environmental benefits or not, the product is better than the alternative.

The decision of better for the planet is only one of the considerations in each purchase. People make decisions all the time based on many factors. The item fits better, it is in my price range, it is more durable, it is available now are some examples. I can go to any gas station, convenience store, dollar store, box store etc and buy batteries.

The biggest reason I am switching over to rechargeable batteries is the durability. I am sick and tired of opening a battery compartment to find that the battery has leaked out and even sometimes ruining my device. Usually, this is more than an inconvenience but these are things that aren’t really replacible.

My HP calculator that I paid $300 for in 1991 is an example. Sure, the technology is out of date but it still works fine and since I am not doing calculus anymore, I don’t need the capability. It is a sentimental item for me. It was the single largest purchase I made until I was out of the house and in college. My OBDII code reader had the batteries go bad. I paid $450 for that. That is replaceable but why do I want to? My current toner, my weather station, different remote controls, flashlights… the list goes on and on.

As I was writing that list, I was thinking most of those items occurred either in the shop or the basement. This doesn’t mean that every failure has happened in a less than conditioned environment. But a starting point might be to replace the batteries in my tools and things that live outside of heated space.

The failures also mostly happen in infrequently used items. It is probably safe to keep using alkaline batteries if you are frequently using an item. I am trying to take the batteries out when I remember, but sometimes I forget. Or sometimes things get moved without a thought and then the next time I need them, the batteries have exploded.

To date, I have already spent several hundred dollars on rechargeable batteries and I am not even close to having enough. These things are expensive, granted I am not buying the cheapest brand. They are averaging $3-4 a piece whereas at Costco, I can buy an alkaline battery for about $0.50. But, that means that if I go through eight cycles it has paid for itself. The batteries are supposed to have 2000 charge cycles in them. Even to get to eight cycles it will take a long time for them to pay off. But even if I only get 20 cycles, it should more than pay for itself. Best of all, I am not going to have a ruined device.

One last thing about rechargeable batteries. Having a stock of these is valuable if you need them. They can be recharged with solar power or a generator. You are not going to charge an alkaline battery so if you cant get to a store or there are not stores open or no more alkaline batteries, this is a more self-reliant option. This is where I got the idea. My initial experience with Ni-Cad batteries in the 1980s was terrible but I have been convinced that technology has moved a long way in 30+ years.

End Your Programming Routine: It may be that not every alkaline battery needs to be replaced with a rechargeable one. There are some things that I could care less if they get ruined. That being said, I am buying batteries to replace each time the alkaline dies. That is an expensive proposition, but I think it is going to work out economically, ecologically and for the safety of the device.