These days, folks might be looking for creative ways to lower their energy bill. Conventional wisdom might lead one to unplug devices when not in use to prevent devices from drawing power.
Some might take this to an extreme, unplugging household appliances like refrigerators and ovens. But does this actually help cut costs?
One TikToker says his family will soon find out, as his mother removed the refrigerator from their kitchen to cut costs on electricity and food.
A desperate measure
A text overlay on a video posted to TikTok by user @mrburgies details the reasons behind his mom’s choice.
“My mom’s extreme cheapskates addition has gotten worse…she’s now selling our refrigerator because [she] said it uses up too much electricity and encourages spending too much money on food,” the text overlay reads. “She also moved it all by herself! (Now our house is flooding).”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @mrburgies via email regarding the video.
@mrburgies will post an update on the flood
♬ Guy For That – Post Malone
Does it work?
While the idea may have been going in the right direction, refrigerators are generally not the appliance consumers would want to unplug if they are trying to lower energy costs. Refrigerators only cost about $20 per month to run—that’s about $235 per year—so the savings from unplugging one are likely minimal.
According to Unitil.com, devices that may be better to unplug are small kitchen appliances. These include toasters, blenders, air fryers, and coffee makers. This goes for television sets and cable boxes as well as chargers for electronics and home office equipment like printers.
Viewers quickly pointed this out in the comments section, noting that his mother’s action to unplug the refrigerator may not have the desired impact.
“The worst part is, the fridge doesn’t hardly use any electricity monthly lol,” one commenter wrote.
“Refrigerators are one of the most efficient appliances in your home to, similar to a water heater it acts as a gaint battery,” another echoed.
“My monthly electric tells me how much I spend on each outlet,” a user said. “The fridge uses about $12/month.”
Others shared that their family members had taken similar measures when it came to the items in their home, like large appliances and furniture, while experiencing difficulties.
“Once my mom sold all of our downstairs furniture so we had to eat sitting on the stairs,” one commenter wrote.
“Our mother put our house up for sale while we were at school.. sold it and came home and she gave or sold all our things,” another said.
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