This simple hack could make a huge difference in your next electric bill, and TikTok creator Kelley Cole (@kelleykelleykelley) is sharing it with the internet. Posted this month, her homeownership video has already garnered over 490,000 views.
And Cole begins her video with an intriguing question.
“Is your electric bill way too high? Do you wanna know a simple, easy way to cut your bill down without changing your life at all?” she asked.
“OK, I’ll tell you and I learned this from a patient roughly 15 years ago. I’ve been doing it ever since. I used to do it hardcore. Now I do it softcore, and I do it softcore at my boyfriend’s house. Let me show you.”
The video shows Cole unplugging small appliances in her kitchen—the coffee maker, toaster, and electric can opener—followed by clips of her unplugging a lamp and a phone charger.
“It’s just unplugging. My patient called it energy vampires. He told me that when you have appliances, small appliances, any appliances plugged in, even when not in use, it will leech electricity and you’ll be charged for it,” Cole revealed.
Hardcore energy saving isn’t for everyone
Cole drew a distinction between “hardcore” unplugging and “softcore” unplugging—and the former isn’t for the faint of heart.
“So when I say I went home and went hardcore, I mean I unplugged the microwave, the stove, the TV, the cable box, like everything. The washer, the dryer. It was stupid. Unsustainable [and] inconvenient, and I didn’t stick with that. Obviously.”
The softcore energy saving version is a more realistic method for Cole, focusing primarily on unplugging electronics, small appliances, and even power tools.
“The small appliances on the kitchen counter, the coffee pot, the can opener, the toaster, all of those when not in use, unplugged. Laptops, iPads, [and] cellphones. When those are not actively being charged, they’re unplugged. If a lamp is turned off, it’s unplugged,” Cole continued.
“My ex-husband used to have power tools plugged in all the time and when I would pull up in the garage, I would see like a red light here, green light there, I would unplug it. He got so used to it.”
How much does unplugging electronics save?
It depends! But it’s likely to be $100-$200 annually on your electric bill, per the U.S. Department of Energy. “Typically, an item drawing a single watt of energy costs about one dollar to power annually,” an industry blog asserts.
Cole concludes her video cheerfully with a “You’re welcome,” anticipating the savings the viewer will receive with this simple tip.
Cole did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Dot.
@kelleykelleykelley Unplugging is easy and saves money and energy #unplugging #energyvampires #phantompower #energysaver #gogreen #savemoney #moneysavinghack #lowelectricbill #electricbill #highelectricbill ♬ original sound – Kelley Cole
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