Batteries are rarely talked about – until they are nearly empty and then we will beg desperately for a charger, hoping to get enough juice to last through to the end of day. Batteries are a miracle of engineering that get taken for granted when full and cursed when they are flat.

If it feels like your battery is running out faster, you might be right. It’s not because of ‘battery memory’ and needing to be cycled (that’s an older battery type called Nickel–metal hydride or NiMh), it’s because the modern Lithim-ion (Li-Ion) batteries in phones and laptops just simply wear out over time.

Using some of these tips will help extend the life of your battery:

1. Keep your battery at room temperature. Heat is the one factor that reduces a batteries life so try and keep the battery between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius (even when not is use). Check your vents are clear with good airflow, and if necessary, help it out with a cooling laptop stand.
2. Charge whenever you can. Lithium-ion batteries don’t like all the time being charged all the way up and drained all the way down. Give them a little charge here and there, and they’ll be happy. Also don’t fully discharge a lithium-ion battery.
3. Think about getting a higher capacity battery. Carrying a spare battery is good but batteries deteriorate over time whether they are used or not so a higher capacity battery may be more beneficial.
4. Remove the battery when the laptop is plugged in all the time. If you use your laptop all day plugged into the power think about removing the battery and only connecting it when you need to use the battery.
5. Charge batteries before extended storing: For extended storage charge the battery to around 40 – 50% before storing in a cool place.
6.  Use energy settings on your device. Think about lowering the brightness on your laptops, tablet or phone screen and use “hibernate” or “sleep” modes on laptops in order to use less battery power.

Yes your battery will wear out over time but you can help it keep its charge by following the above steps.