The Silent Thief in the Hallway
Marta runs a careful, energy-saving home,
so she’s shocked when her electricity bill suddenly doubles.
She blames appliances and family habits until she sees an online warning claiming,
“This appliance in your home consumes as
much electricity in a minute as others do in hours.”
Curious and worried, she decides to investigate.
Unplugging devices one by one,
she notices little change—until she turns off an old space heater.
Instantly, the meter slows, revealing the true culprit.
The heater, quietly running all winter, had become a costly mistake.
Marta laughs at herself for missing such an obvious drain.
She replaces the heater with blankets, tea, and warm clothes,
and turns the discovery into a lesson for her children about energy awareness.
Within a month, the bill returns to normal. She stores the heater with a note reading,
“Not broken. Just too expensive to forget,” reminding herself that small,
overlooked habits can carry the greatest cost.
