A TikToker tried to slash her electricity costs but ended up with an even higher bill. Jules (@julesandthevibe) posted about her struggle in a video that quickly spread across social media.
Featured VideoShe explained her plan in detail. “Last month, my electric bill was $300, so I went out of my way to get blackout curtains and fans and not run the A/C and turn off all my extension cords and everything. And then this month, I got the bill back, and it was $360. How’s everyone doing?”
Her video has been viewed over 6 million times and has over 10.2K comments on TikTok from people facing similar frustrations with their own bills, and was later shared on X.
AdvertisementResponses to her TikTok video
Many commenters said the problem wasn’t her usage. One person on X wrote, “Yeah, same here. It’s not your usage – it’s the supply costs that have skyrocketed bc of an energy auction whereby they basically distributed the cost burden from big data centers on the grid to…households.”
The same commenter insisted data centers were responsible, adding, “And the people saying ‘it’s not the data centers’ – what’s the weather like on your planet? Because it absolutely is.”
Others on TikTok suggested practical steps. Some recommended she get her meter checked in case of faulty readings. However, several argued that larger forces, like rising costs tied to AI data centers, were more to blame.
AdvertisementNot every response focused on infrastructure. A confused viewer noted, “What????? Every two month I pay $90 for a full house for 4 bedrooms???”
“It’s a complete scam,” wrote another.
The conversation also spilled onto X, where Jules’s video was reposted. @he_wasa tweeted, “…we just went through the same thing. Insanely high electric bill for two months. Assumed that it was due to rate increase + heavy A/C usage for those two months. Didn’t use the A/C for a month….and got the same bill.”
Jules noted in another video about the electricity bill that the increase was due to the comically named “Big Beautiful Bill” that was passed earlier this year.
Advertisement@julesandthevibe Replying to @maggie INCREDIBLE!!!! #julesandthevibe #funny #politics #political #comedy ♬ Monsters, Inc – Gustav Lundgren & Unit
Speaking with the Daily Dot, Jules said, “I ended up calling my electric company and they said that while it was high, it was average in comparison to their other consumers.”
“It’s not just me that had a big bill this summer, everyone under my electric company did. They gave me some suggestions on keeping it down which essentially was just ‘don’t run the AC.’”
“I’m 7 months pregnant and we’re on the third floor, it can get up to 80 degrees in that apartment. It’s a real pain in my a** that the solution is to just suffer and sweat.”
Advertisement“It’s bad enough everything else is rising in price and I have to swallow the cost, but electric bills being borderline 400 dollars are taking the cake,” she added.
National reports indicate this is a common issue
According to CBS News, electricity prices have been climbing for reasons far beyond household use. Rates are up an average of 5.5% compared to last year, and natural gas prices have jumped 13.8%. Not only that, nearly 60 utilities plan to raise rates by over $38 billion this year, impacting 57 million Americans, according to the Center for American Progress.
Experts point to several driving reasons for the shift: rising demand from AI data centers, oil and gas drilling, electrified transportation, and space heating. The U.S. grid now faces both transmission backlogs and equipment shortages. Meanwhile, in 2023, for example, more than 2.6K gigawatts of power were on hold to be connected to the power grid.
AdvertisementRenewable projects could help, but permitting and policy shifts have slowed progress. President Donald Trump has opposed new solar and wind projects, calling them “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY.” At the same time, his administration has pushed to keep coal plants running longer, potentially costing ratepayers billions rather than saving money.
