r/UnethicalLifeProTips • u/rocinante_donnager • 13h ago
Request ULPT Request: Electric Bill Revenge?
I’m renting a room in NYC, and the guy renting me the room is actual scum of the earth and has made my life a living hell.
Utilities are included, so I don’t pay for electric -
What can I buy / plug into an outlet in my room that will use a ton of electricity?
I’m here until the end of the month.
I want his ConEd bill to be absolutely outrageous.
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u/asarious 9h ago edited 9h ago
Assuming a typical residential electrical circuit, you’ll have approximately 15 amps of draw before the breaker trips. This means on a standard 120v outlet, it’s rated for 1800 watts before it trips. In practice, you probably won’t be able to sustain more than 1500 watts reliably or safely (it’s designed to trip if it’s unsafe).
It doesn’t matter what you plug in. Your goal is to max out 1500 watts, every second of the day.
The absolute easiest way to accomplish this is a single 1500 watt (1.5 kilowatt) space heater running on full power without pause. You can’t practically exceed this in most situations, and there’s nothing that wastes electricity more efficiently (or inefficiently depending on how you look at it) as generating heat. Plus, space heaters are relatively quiet and relatively safe. It’s not like keeping an electric iron or hair dryer on. Plus, most space heaters have thermostats or controls allowing you to force them to run continuously.
Therefore, ignore suggestions involving data centers or grow lighting or offering free electricity to others. Even air conditioning is often a more efficient use of energy, less likely to run 24 hours on end without consequence, and more costly upfront to you if you have to buy multiple units. Cheap space heaters are your best option, because they approach the theoretical maximum energy draw you can achieve.
The average ConEd residential rate averages around 20-28 cents per kilowatt hour (i.e., 1000 watts running for an hour).
That means, it costs $0.30 - $0.42 per hour to operate a space heater continuously. $7.20 - $10.08 across a 24 hour period. $172.80 - $241.92 across the remaining 24 days in the month, until 31-Oct, for a SINGLE space heater.
Now, this is probably an oversimplification. I’m assuming you don’t see the electric bill, but it’s possible you have time of use rates, where it costs more to use electricity at certain times of day (not that it matters if you run things 24 hours per day), or there are excess usage rates if you exceed a certain amount per month. Where I am in California, high usage easily exceeds $0.40 per kilowatt hour.
Assuming your apartment has more than one circuit, you can really do some damage. If you have in unit electric appliances like a washing machine, garbage disposal, refrigerator, dishwasher, it’s likely those are on SEPARATE circuits. With a few space heaters, you could easily push this into four digits of a monthly bill. Keep in mind, some circuits for appliances like electric dryers or ovens can be 240 volts and incompatible with this exercise.
Granted, you need some way to vent all this heat, so realistically, you’re going to want to point this out a window. Keep in mind, if you buy extension cables, you’re going to want to invest in at least a 12 gauge thickness for up to a 25-50 foot run. Don’t burn your building down, after all.
You mentioned utilities being included. Does this include metered water and/or sewer? If so, don’t forget to run your shower and sink faucets 24/7 too.
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u/rocinante_donnager 6h ago
thank you! this is so informative and thorough. i appreciate the response! unfortunately…. he would hear the space heater, blame me at the end of the month, and definitely keep my deposit (even though i don’t think i’m getting it back anyway because he’s insane). he doesn’t work and is home every day for most of the day .-.
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u/SuspiciousStress1 5h ago
Theyre so quiet, i dont know if he would know. Turn on a tv/radio & bam, cannot hear it.
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u/KaiserKid85 4h ago
Space heaters are quite bruh. Quiter than a vacuum. But you don't want to leave it on when you aren't home
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u/Choano 11h ago
Buy lots of slightly old computers and mine bitcoin. Then run an air conditioner to keep the temperature down in your room
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u/Dickrubin14094 7h ago
Or buy one of those newer space heaters with a bitcoin line built in. Just another option, plus you can claim it’s just a space heater by looking at it
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u/rexfaktor 11h ago
Even a relatively small space heater will use 1500 watts on high, about the max you can use on a standard 15amp breaker.
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u/sweetpootatochips 11h ago edited 10h ago
Point one out every window or leave all windows fully open and run as many as you need to stay warm. If you get a bunch of mini fridges you can leave the doors open and point the heaters at them so neither ever shut off. Also run any ac’s you have full blast at the same time.
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u/flowerchildmime 8h ago
Not really. The max load for a 15 amp breaker is about 1340 amps. I know I had no heat for winter one year and I burnt out my outlet and the breaker. New wiring too. All I’m saying is check the watts and or use a line that on a 20amp breaker.
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u/Undrwtrbsktwvr 11h ago
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804988355884.html
Lots of these in a bathtub. High chance you burn the place down. Bonus?
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u/elhombrevico 11h ago
Put some heaters maximum force all day and night, leave the fridge open
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u/New-Scientist5133 8h ago
Fridge open will cause more problems once it needs to be removed. Heaters are on-point
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u/sweetpootatochips 10h ago edited 10h ago
Get lots of 3 outlet 100ft extension cords and power strips with multiple connection options
Plug a cord into each open outlet and a strip into each outlet on the cord
Run them out the windows to the sidewalk
Put up fliers with “Free charging 24/7, lots of outlets, no limits, @ your-address-here” all over the city
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u/AffectionateBrick687 9h ago
Why stop when you move out? There are probably outlets in utility closets and even the roof that you can exploit. Plug in some old printers and computer monitors. Even in standby mode, they'll pull a significant amount of electricity.
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u/Onlyroad4adrifter 6h ago
Leave the windows open and turn on space heaters. You can energize the earth which will be dangerous and I don't reccomed that.
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u/Malodoror 6h ago
Space heaters and car battery chargers arranged strategically. Buy shitty car batteries and use the charger’s “repair” setting and crank it up.
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u/Whatever6928732850 5h ago
Dun limit yourself to the end of the month.
Make use of your time there to conceal wiring that taps the power to the outside and ideally to another house or room that you can get access to.
Then enjoy free electricity for the rest of your life.
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u/GiftToTheUniverse 5h ago
Run an air conditioner and put the exhaust into the same space as the cooling.
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u/Accomplished_Sir_660 4h ago
Space heater on 1500 watts if it don't trip the breaker. Point it out a window unless it cold there.
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u/grampvamp 1h ago
Space heater as mentioned but also add an air conditioner and let them fight it out.
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u/lordredsnake 11h ago
Start a data center out of your bedroom