There's one thing we can all agree on this summer: It is hot out there. Many of us have been running our air conditioners pretty much non-stop in order to keep ourselves and our homes cool amid record-breaking temperatures. But that sweet relief can fast turn into panic when you're hit with a shocking electric bill. In fact, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has already predicted that energy costs for the typical household will spike due to these extra cooling needs. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce costs, including a hack to lower your electric bill that's going viral on TikTok.
RELATED: Your Air Conditioning Bill Is About to Spike for These 3 Reasons, Experts Say.
In a July 8 video, TikTok creator and nurse Kelley Cole asks a question that many of us could answer yes to right now: "Is your electric bill way too high?"
Cole continues, "Do you wanna know a super easy way to cut your bill down without changing your life at all?"
In her TikTok, Cole shares a hack that she says she learned from one of her patients about 15 years ago: unplugging.
Cole then films herself going around and unplugging different things at her boyfriend's house, including a toaster, can opener, coffee pot, phone charger, lamp, and electric razor.
"My patient called it 'energy vampires,'" she recalls. "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."
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When Cole first learned this hack from her patient, she went home and unplugged everything, from her cable box to the washer and dryer.
"It was stupid, unsustainable, inconvenient, and I didn't stick with that obviously," she shares.
Now, she incorporates this tip in a "softcore" way by making more sustainable changes to her everyday life.
"I used to have a little thing mounted on the wall that had my blow dryer, my hair stuff in it, and I kept them plugged in all the time. I took those down and put them in a drawer," she tells viewers. "The small appliances on the kitchen counter—the coffee pot, the can opener, the toaster—all of those, when not in use, unplugged."
The same idea goes for laptops, iPads, and cell phones.
"When those are not actively being charged, they're unplugged," Cole continues. "If a lamp is turned off, it's unplugged."
While unplugging everything made the biggest difference in lowering her bill, Cole says that the "softcore" approach she keeps up with today still "makes a difference" as well.
"Unplugging is easy and saves money and energy," she wrote in the caption of her TikTok, which has already garnered over 683,900 views.
RELATED: 7 Common Mistakes That Can Make Your Electric Bill Soar, Experts Say.
In the comment section of her video, it's clear people feel divided about the practicality and benefit of this viral hack.
"Might save 50 cents a month," one person wrote.
Another replied, "It's worth the $2 that I'd save to NOT do this."
Others claim it does have a bigger impact than you might imagine. "I only keep dryer and fridge plugged in. My Texas electric bill last month was just $52," one person commented.
Another noted, "Cut my bill $50-70+ dollars unplugging everything when I was moving."
Cole is not the only person to highlight this hack. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) posted an article about "energy vampires," or "appliances that continue to draw power from electrical outlets, even when turned off or idle."
"While these vampires won’t suck your blood, some of these appliances can cause substantial increases to your energy usage, costing you and your family hundreds of dollars per year," the agency warned. "According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, an appliance constantly taking in 1 watt of electrical current is equivalent to 9kWh per year, adding up to $1 in annual costs (basically $1/watt/annual). Considering how many appliances are used in an average household, costs can quickly add up to $100-200 a year."
In order to "outsmart those pesky energy vampires," the DOE also advised homeowners to "tug the plug" on certain appliances when they're not in use.
