Electrical bill....
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6905
Printed Date: February 04 2026 at 5:41pm
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Topic: Electrical bill....
Posted By: peiji
Subject: Electrical bill....
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 8:44am
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I just upgraded my VHO lights to MH. Before, I was running 300 W of VHO.
So, now I'm running about 200W of SuperActinic VHO and 300W of MH. I just got my electrical bill and it was an increase of $40 over last month. And that only included about 2 weeks at the most of my new lighting system. Is it possible that my bill will increase $50 to $80 a month just by running my new tank? I guess I should add I'm also running a return pump which I didn't have before. If that's the case, I think I'm in trouble. ------------- Jared Page Highland, UT Graphic Designer |
Replies:
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 8:46am
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I worry about this. I'm trying to calculate the electric bill on my next tank and I'm scared. I'll be watching this thread to see what others say (and crossing my fingers). Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Kevin
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 9:52am
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I doubt the new lights would raise your bill that much in one month. But I guess it just depends on how much your paying for electricity. It seems that electric companies charge per kilowatt hours. So lets say it costs you 5 cents per kilowatt hour. So take your light wattage (500) and times that by the number of hours you used in a day (say 10). That would give you 500 * 10 = 5000 watt hours used per day. Convert to kilowatt hours and you get 5 kilowatt hours per day. Figure out the cost of that -- 5 kwh * 5 cents per kwh = 25 cents per day. Times that over the whole month (30 days) and you have spent a wopping $7.50 a month. So just figure out how much your electricity costs from your electric bill and how many hours you use your stuff and you can figure out how much your lights or whatever else will cost in a day or month.
p.s. If you don't want to do the math then use this calculator -- http://www.webmath.com/kwh.html - Electricity cost calculator |
Posted By: peiji
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 9:56am
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awesome. Thanks. ------------- Jared Page Highland, UT Graphic Designer |
Posted By: Kevin
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 10:01am
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Oh, one other thing, if you cant figure out the watts of a paticular device you can figure out the watt usage by doing
-- watts = volts * amps |
Posted By: Xacttech
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 10:02am
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Mine went up about $17 and I increased my wattage by 100. One thing
to also consider is, did you start using an air conditioner, or swamp cooler? What other power items did you add? Fish tanks are an expensive hobby  They cost more than high speed
internet, Satellite TV, and cell phones in power consumption alone. That doesn't even include what you spend on what goes inside the tank, and what you spend on water changes, supplements etc. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I have no regrets. 
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Posted By: smatney
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 10:41am
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My electric bill has doubled ($50 to $100) since I started having tanks. I do have 3 different systems going though. ------------- Susan Matney Farmington, UT |
Posted By: dnellans
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 10:47am
| I've got a 250w sodium vapor i run almost 24/7 that only increased my bill about $20 a month.... just another reference point. |
Posted By: Connie
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 11:12am
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I dont even want to know....... ------------- I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them. 180 gallon money pit that I love..... |
Posted By: pmpt
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 1:35pm
I'll agree with that!! |
Connie wrote:Posted By: boudster
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 1:43pm
I have a 3 seperate systems running with a total of 7 tanks (soon to be 9), and I live in Texas where A/C alone costs a ton.....so just remember that it could be a lot worse!  ------------- Jim - Houston http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7691 - My 150 Gallon in-wall tank journal |
Posted By: peiji
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 1:55pm
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Ok, so my next question. How on earth do you get your spouses to support
this expensive habit. JK ------------- Jared Page Highland, UT Graphic Designer |
Posted By: dnellans
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 2:11pm
| haha, you guys always have your minds in the gutter! |
Posted By: Seaul8r
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 2:13pm
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Oh man, get down on your knees, pray to "GOD" and take her to see as many beautiful tanks as possible. May be then she will see something that really appeals to her and she'll be the one checking on your tank every day. My wife asks more questions than I do to other members, loves to decide which frags to purchase and has even brought one or two pieces home from LFS. She still tells everyone its my hobbie especially when the $ comes up. At the meeting in April She was standing on a chair to see over everyone during the coral fragging demo. "DO NOT GIVE UP BE PATIENT" as with everything else in this journey. ------------- 75 Gallon Display, 75 Sump/Refug, Euroreef ES5-2 Skimmer, Iwaki 70 return pump, DIY Stand/Canopy |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 2:40pm
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Don't let her see the bills nor check book records. Oh, and apparently if you buy her a dog she won't care about anything else. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 2:49pm
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I'm with Adam! Keep her thinking about something else! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 2:58pm
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Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: smatney
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 3:06pm
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Get her involved with the tank! Fred does all the mechanical, plumbing, electrical stuff and I do the chemistry and decorating. Ask her how you should position your corals for color and looks. Tell her you need her artistic eye. Ask her what color you are missing and need to get (hint, hint) to make it a better "picture". ------------- Susan Matney Farmington, UT |
Posted By: Tyler Stewart
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 3:11pm
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This is crazy!!!! I currently have a 65 gallon tank. I have wanted to upgrade but I though my wife wouldn't want anything bigger. Just last night, she said "I would like to get a bigger tank". We visited Reefrookies house a month or so ago and he has a 120. She said she wanted one like his. That was like music to my ears. I guess all of those times watching Finding Nemo really worked. All she keeps talking about is how she wants a "Dori" fish. I already have a purple and a yellow tang in there so I dont dare unless I get a bigger tank. I almost thought I was dreaming...
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Posted By: Seaul8r
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 3:44pm
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24tardo, Tell her its always best to have two of everything in case something goes wrong with one. Since you are in such a favorable condition you might as well push your luck. What's the worse case She says no and you still get a 120.
------------- 75 Gallon Display, 75 Sump/Refug, Euroreef ES5-2 Skimmer, Iwaki 70 return pump, DIY Stand/Canopy |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 3:46pm
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Alright, so who wears the pants in the family anyway. You tell your wife that she can like it or lump it, but either way, you're getting a bigger tank.
Then, duck and cover and get some blankets for the couch. The consequences may be bad, but for few brief seconds you can catch of glimpse of the manhood she stole from you on your wedding day. Then do what Sealu8r suggests. And a water change. That seems to help everything.
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Posted By: Chris
Date Posted: June 10 2005 at 8:03pm
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I put a kilowatt meter on my tank to see how much power it used. I tested it with my 130 watt PC lighting, and then with my 520 watt MH/VHO lighting. Jumping from 130 watts to 520 watts only increased the cost around $12.00 a month. This was on top of the $12.00 the tank already cost me in power each month. To read more about my tests go here http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2935&PN=3 - http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2935&PN=3 The added increase in your power bill is not just because of your tank but because of the time of year. Your now running fans, and A/C which add lots to your power bill. Power cost >$0.08 a kilowatt hour. A kilowatt hour is 1000 watts used in 1 hour. So 500 watts would take 2 hours to make 1 kilowatt hour or costs $0.04 and hour to run. Lets say your system is a total of 1000 watts this includes pumps, heaters, lights, and everything else you have to run your tank. This would cost you $1.92 a day or $57.60 a month to run if everything was on for 24 hours a day. Most people do not use 1000 watts 24/7 on there tanks. They may use 1000 watts for 10 to 12 hours a day and less the 200 watt the rest of the time. But a 1000 watt tank is a big tank. My 55 gallon is only around 670 watts when fully lighted up and pumping water. Hope this helps. |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: June 11 2005 at 12:29am
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I agree with Chris. Increasing your lighting from 300 watts to 500 watts (total) costs you: (500 - 300 watts)*(10 hrs)/(1000 watts/kilowatt)*(30 days/month)*($0.07 per kw-hr) = $4.20 extra per month. Your larger pump will also contribute. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |