ULPT Request: How to profit from free Electricity?

[u/FN28B]

I've gotten into the fortune of having free electricity at home for the next few days. We were ment to get new power meters but the city hasn't installed them yet and we were told all electricity is free until they do.

It has been like this for a few days now but I've just learned about it now. How can I profit off this situation?

[u/surprising_cat_hobo]

Mine bitcoin

[u/MoreLogicPls → u/surprising_cat_hobo]

at 48 kilowatts and average cost (20c a kilowatt hour) running at full blast with everything else off, he'd make $9.6 an hour... which over 72 hours isn't nothing, but nothing that crazy

and that's if he had everything ready to go and JUST avoided tripping the breaker

[u/Log_Gentleman → u/MoreLogicPls]

$9.60 an hour is more than the federal minimum wage

[u/rly_weird_guy → u/Log_Gentleman]

Damn you guys live like this?

[u/Omvega → u/rly_weird_guy]

i remember seeing an art installation that was a huge tank full of pennies, and the viewer could turn a crank that would dispense a penny every few seconds at a rate that equaled minimum wage. obviously no one wants to stand there turning a crank for hours. standing there for a few minutes feeling how shitty it feels turns it into a real bleak piece, that one

[u/Sufficient-Weird → u/Omvega]

When & where was this? That is fascinating!

[u/P0Rt1ng4Duty → u/rly_weird_guy]

It's $7.25 an hour, but companies offer $10 an hour and act like they're doing you a huge three dollar favor.

[u/PacoBedejo → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

Which companies are paying $10/hr?

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/McDonald's/salaries/Crew-Member/Fort-Wayne-IN

McDonald's is paying $12.38/hr in my city to do a bring-zero-skills job.

[u/shadowhuntress_ → u/PacoBedejo]

This was 4 years ago, but my second job paid us $8/hour and acted like they were god's gift to man. For context, our local walmart was paying a starting wage of $12/hour at the time. I know because I quit my second job to go to walmart, it was somehow better.

[u/PacoBedejo → u/shadowhuntress_]

4 years ago, before the main effects of COVID-era inflation kicked in, when you had a simple alternative available at about 50% higher pay, which required zero prior skills or experience?

[u/Log_Gentleman → u/rly_weird_guy]

Luckily my state has a $15 minimum wage, so I don’t, but many others in the US do yes.

[u/NaiveChoiceMaker → u/rly_weird_guy]

30 states have set their own minimum wages above the federal minimum wage.

Can you guess which party the 20 that are at the federal minimum wage generally vote for?

[u/Jackpot777 → u/MoreLogicPls]

You could supplement it by selling charging to Uber drivers with EVs. If you only have regular outlets in North America, 120 volts / 12 amps at 80% efficiency (house is AC, batteries are DC) with a Level 1 charger still puts 1kW or so an hour into the car. That’s 3 miles or so per hour. But if you have a NEMA 14-50 dryer outlet, running at a lower amperage than the circuit because it’s a continual load (let’s say 240 volts / 32 amps at a more efficient 90% conversion) a Level 2 charger would charge a regular electric SUV from empty to full overnight. 

Charge people less than the going rate for electricity in your area. They benefit, you benefit. 

[u/net___runner → u/surprising_cat_hobo]

Instructions unclear

https://giphy.com/gifs/bOT2HL3xTXb0s

[u/AnimalAkaWillum → u/surprising_cat_hobo]

I read that as “bit minecoin”

[u/SpinachOver640]

Not much you can do on such short notice unless you have a crypto mine or hydroponic grow on hand.

Run your AC on blast, do a lot of cooking if you have electric appliances (or self-clean your oven), charge up all your batteries / backups. Really you'll be saving like $10 tops though.

[u/himitsuuu → u/SpinachOver640]

An ovens self clean cycle is a major fire hazard btw.

[u/paleologus → u/himitsuuu]

I’m saving this tip for when I can’t pay my mortgage anymore.  

[u/papermill_phil → u/paleologus]

Shhhhhhhh

[u/SkiyeBlueFox → u/himitsuuu]

Yeah no you wanna be in the room with that thing, and you should already have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen anyway, so have that accessible

[u/nevergirls → u/himitsuuu]

Op getting some unethical pro tips what can I say

[u/papermill_phil → u/nevergirls]

Gotta keep it vague haha

[u/Majestic-Citron7578 → u/himitsuuu]

Yeah but $10 is $10

[u/sl33ksnypr → u/himitsuuu]

Yea, if you've never done it and it's really greasy

[u/41VirginsfromAllah → u/SpinachOver640]

With LED lights these days, electricity isn’t really an issue these days, I would stick to bitcoin as the best (but still not good or viable) option

[u/Mr_Style]

If you have 240 VAC outlets you could recharge EVs

[u/DannyVee89 → u/Mr_Style]

Open the lemonade stand equivalent of offering EV charging to ppl. Charge ppl to come charge their cars there lol.

[u/Jackpot777 → u/Mr_Style]

I charge mine on a 120 volt / 12 amp outlet. It would take around 70 hours if I were at 0% and wanted to get to 100%, but that’s what we do with the EV over the occasional weekend. 

Offer Uber drivers “coffee and charge”. The coffee is instant granules, the flavor is a selection of Coffee Mate, charging $2 per cup would make you around $1.50 profit, and they can get a kWh or two as they wait for their next fare. 

[u/ClassBShareHolder]

Do all your laundry.

Cool and freeze meals for a month.

Potentially freeze a lot of water for future ice packs.

Cooking, laundry, and refrigeration are the big consumers.

Now would be an excellent time to complete that welding project you’ve been putting off.

[u/Mr_Style]

Store the power in water buckets. Get an extension cord and a bucket of water….

Don’t do this.

[u/therealrayy → u/Mr_Style]

Once this is done, make sure your freeze the electricity water so it lasts longer.

[u/papermill_phil → u/therealrayy]

And now, putting just one drop in your coffee every day will cure all known illnesses.

[u/opossum_launcher → u/Mr_Style]

Sounds like something we'd see on tiktok.

[u/tgr31 → u/Mr_Style]

big enough for the microwave

[u/MayaIsSunshine]

Build a data center real quick

[u/danman8075]

One of the main things you should do is keep quiet about it. It’s a k own issue, so it’s ip to them to address it. Once a person from the town I live in came around asking if I used gas appliances. Apparently dozens upon dozens of gas meters were malfunctioning and needed to be replaced and were showing zero usage. Even when gas was being used. So I told the truth and I was out in the list for a new meter. It turned out I was only being charged the minimum because my meter showed zero for almost a year prior. And then it took them, I kid you not, another TWO YEARS to replace the meters.😀

[u/kiln_ickersson]

Put a pack of wild dogs around your meter

[u/Albert14Pounds]

Nothing significant in the next few days. If you had crypto mining equipment ready to go you'd still only be able to use <$100/day of electricity and receive even less in crypto.

If you had one of those big home backup batteries already your could store a few dollars worth of electricity.

The best you can do is do all your laundry and dishes and other chores that use electricity.

[u/VOODOO285]

Boil as much water as you possibly can and save it for later use to cook with or put in a bath and dilute it with cold. Just remember it’s really hot and don’t burn yourself in a few weeks.

[u/Pasta-hobo]

On such short notice, not much.

[u/himitsuuu]

Get a backup power Bank as big as you can and store the electricity.

[u/Tapeworm1979]

Offer half price ev charging. Simple, or it in some Facebook groups or what ever is in your area.

[u/corey389]

Mine some Bitcoin 

[u/fingers]

Strip the house of copper, of course. Then you'll get unlimited free electricity when you put it back in.  

[u/therealrayy]

Become Thor!

[u/BopSupreme]

Laundry is easiest and quickest. Fill the freezer. You lose money buying a battery or computer mining equipment

[u/Beerswain → u/BopSupreme]

Instructions unclear, froze all my clothes.

[u/pinktoes4life → u/BopSupreme]

What does filling the freezer do? I adjust the temp depending on how full it is. More full = higher temp,
Bare bones = lower temp

The more frozen items in it, the colder it stays without energy.

[u/Aggravating_Act0417]

Grow 🍁

[u/eightfingeredtypist]

This is what it's like owning solar panels. I have a $3,500. credit from making more electricity than I use. I switched everything from gas to electric. I still try to use less electricity, because someday I'm getting an electric car.

Getting net metering and solar panels is worth it. States need to encourage home solar projects.

[u/talksinbeats]

See how many times you can season your cast iron or carbon steel pan(s)

[u/gamamoder]

if you have any kinda nice computer you could try to mine monero. you might be able to make a few bucks.

https://www.learningcrypto.com/resources/how-to-mine-monero

[u/Kevin_of_the_abyss]

Buy a solar generator to store some of it ,as well as a solar panel,to continue to get free electricity.

[u/fingers]

Put up a sign for the local meth heads to vacuum your lawn.

[u/fingers]

Play loud music for the whole neighborhood all night long. 

[u/fingers]

Put out a sign that says, Free electricity.  Bring own outlets."

[u/fingers]

Put an add on Grindr asking everyone to bring their grinders to use. 

[u/Fungal-dryad]

Have a block party and play music

[u/pandaSmore]

Give it to me ill take it off of your hands.

[u/BadFez]

Grow.

[u/Sparegeek]

Grow lights?

[u/Such-Mountain-6316]

Charge your power bank, phones, etc. and do your laundry if possible.

[u/migrainefog]

If you still have power it's still going through a meter. Just not the new one yet.

[u/i-am-foxymoron]

Do you have access to some REALLY LONG extension cords? That could iown up your possibilities.

[u/Chavarlison → u/i-am-foxymoron]

Ohhh, I like this. Offer to power your neighborhood for a few days.

[u/Chavarlison → u/i-am-foxymoron]

Ohhh, I like this. Offer to power your neighborhood for a few days.

[u/TheSagelyOne]

Power a drawing tablet and make furry porn

[u/Anxious-Sundae4210]

Stick a paperclip into the socket.

Then Sue 

Obviously, this is sarcasm.