A method for battery conservation in a wireless communication system begins with requesting a battery level measurement from a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) by a radio network controller (RNC). The battery level is measured at the WTRU and is reported to the RNC. The battery level measurement is stored in the RNC, where it can be accessed by radio resource management (RRM) procedures. The battery level measurement is applied to the RRM procedures by making adjustments to the procedures based on the battery level measurement, whereby the battery of the WTRU is conserved.