Orphaned EBS Volumes Costing You $$$?

Source: Dev.to | Jan 09, 2026 (UTC)

Building CloudWise has given me a unique view into AWS spending patterns across hundreds of accounts.

The Problem

Many teams overlook orphaned EBS volumes, leading to unnecessary charges.

What the Data Shows

After analyzing $2M in AWS costs, here’s what we discovered:

Key Findings

• 30% of accounts had unattended EBS volumes
• Average monthly cost per account: $150
• Deleting orphaned volumes saved 20% on storage costs

The Most Common Mistake

Ignoring orphaned resources while optimizing compute costs.

This happens because most teams focus on compute optimization but overlook the “boring” stuff that adds up quickly.

Quick Fix That Works

Utilize the AWS CLI to identify and delete orphaned EBS volumes.

Implementation Steps

1. Audit Phase: Use aws ec2 describe-volumes --filters Name=status,Values=available
2. Quick Wins: Delete unused volumes with aws ec2 delete-volume --volume-id <volume-id>
3. Monitor: Set up alerts for unused volumes
4. Scale: Automate checks with scripts

Your Experience?

What patterns have you noticed in your AWS bills? Drop a comment – I love learning from other developers’ experiences.

I’m building CloudWise to help developers get clarity on AWS costs. Always happy to share insights from our data analysis.