The average refrigerator uses about 300 to 800 watts of electricity, costing you around $20 monthly. On scorching hot days, however, your fridge may have to work extra hard to stay cool, driving up your energy usage and costs even more.Â
To address this problem, Instagrammer Heidi Ondrak (@duchessofthrift) shared her hack for saving energy to keep your fridge cold.Â
The scoop
In her video, Heidi explains how the sun comes in her window and hits the fridge, which doesn't help keep it cool at all. To help her fridge stay cool, she puts two bottles of frozen water in it and allows them to defrost slowly throughout the day.
The freezing temperature of the water in the bottles helps lower the refrigerator's temperature and keeps everything fresh and cool inside.
Heidi explained in the caption, "You can really feel the temp of your fridge lower, it doesn't have to work as hard so saves leccy, and it helps food to not spoil quicker in this frankly ridiculous heat."Â
How it's helping
Heidi's hack can help you keep your energy costs down while keeping your food better preserved inside your fridge. You'll save money on your electricity bills during heat waves, which are becoming increasingly common worldwide and the new normal we face each year.
The hack also repurposes plastic water bottles so they have an extended life without instantly going to waste once you drink the water inside. It's an easy and affordable hack that anyone can do with minimal effort and instantly gratifying results.
On her Instagram account, Heidi shares a variety of thrifty, money-saving hacks using secondhand and sustainable items.
Following eco-minded social media influencers and learning from their tips and hacks is an excellent way to save money while upgrading to smart home technology, weatherizing your home, and reducing your carbon footprint.
What people are saying
Hacks like this seem like common sense once you see them, but most people only think about them once they stumble upon them online. Instagram users loved this hack and filled the comment section with positive affirmations.
"That's clever!!" one viewer wrote.
Another agreed and wrote admiringly, "You're genius."
"Great tip share —  think we all need little tips like that to keep costs down now!!" another follower commented.Â
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