How much has your electric bill gone up?

[DracoKat]

I am on balanced billing.. and renewal came up. It increased $20 a month, and I've had my tank for about 10 months now. Oops.

How much has your electric bill gone up?

any suggestions how to reduce cost a bit?

 

[Labridaedicted]

Oh man. When I had the 90 running back in NC, I was running somewhere around 50 a month for the tank. My roommates were less than thrilled when the found that happened. I expect a similar or higher bill on the new 180.

To reduce power costs, try to run some dc pumps that you can dial back rather than restrictions ac pumps, run leds (less watts per lumen and cooler than halides so no need for chiller.) If you have to run a chiller, try cooling via fans and surface agitation instead. (Does a remarkably good job of chilling via evaporation.)

 

[lake985]

My electric bill has increased ~$50/month since switching over from my 6g nano to a Reefer 425 in January. I'm already running a dc return pump, so I attribute most of the increase to the two 300W heaters and my poorly insulated, old home.

In an effort to save a few bucks, I've shortened my lighting duration (from 10 to 8 hours) and changed the schedule to coincide with when I'm home from work and can actually enjoy the tank.

 

[DracoKat]

reducing light hours, has that helped?
I don't have a chiller. But will look into DC. I think my T5's are the killers.

keep the advice coming!

 

[palmer]

Haha always had tanks have no idea how much portion the tank is to the electricity bill

 

[SteveSTL]

LED lights and DC pumps/powerheads as stated above - if not for the heater, I'd only be up 100 watts or so.

Change out your household bulbs to LED and outdoor security to solar LED to capture some savings.

 

[ReeferDave01]

It's not only electricity to run the tank but I've noticed also A/C or heat associated. Before I could leave windows open for bigger swings in temp but now if gets too extreme, have to shut windows and have AC or heat on otherwise too much pull on heater or cooling unit on the tank. That's also additional utility expense.

 

[Nick92515]

I have my 90 in my basement which is always cold, so a 450 watt heater running most of the time doesn't help

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

90 gallon with LED lights

Goes up ~50 in winter and ~25 in summer. Energy consumption and cost is mostly heater related

 

[lake985]

reducing light hours, has that helped?

keep the advice coming!

According to last month's bill, yes, I was able to save a few bucks. Nothing mind blowing, but it showed the wife that I was making a good faith effort to reduce costs where possible . I'm a reefing newbie and have quickly learned that keeping both the tank and wife happy are just as challenging.

I also only run my skimmer (Bubble Magus Curve 7 that pulls 73W) for 12 hours per day mainly because I don't think it's needed 24/7. I'm hoping to see a significant reduction during the summer as USMC 4 LIFE shared above.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

Lighting was my biggest. My bill dropped more than $200/mo when I sold my 72 and 110 which both ran dual halides. My new tank is at my office, so I don't really know how much it costs now....ignorance is bliss!

Typically, the biggest culprits are lights, chillers, and heaters. Stray voltage could also contribute, so check that. An overworked or poor condition pump would also be something to consider.

On top of the eco-friendly cooling methods, DC pumps and led lights mentioned above, an oversized, or even multiple, heaters would be more efficient (too big and it'll just turn on and off way too frequently which will be worse). You could also turn the temp down a degree or two. And if possible, turn the lights' intensity down and/or shorten the photo period. Small things like this will help quite a bit.

Tell us some specifics about your system, and maybe we can come up with some better ideas.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Lighting was my biggest. My bill dropped more than $200/mo when I sold my 72 and 110 which both ran dual halides. My new tank is at my office, so I don't really know how much it costs now....ignorance is bliss!

Typically, the biggest culprits are lights, chillers, and heaters. Stray voltage could also contribute, so check that. An overworked or poor condition pump would also be something to consider.

On top of the eco-friendly cooling methods, DC pumps and led lights mentioned above, an oversized, or even multiple, heaters would be more efficient (too big and it'll just turn on and off way too frequently which will be worse). You could also turn the temp down a degree or two. And if possible, turn the lights' intensity down and/or shorten the photo period. Small things like this will help quite a bit.

Tell us some specifics about your system, and maybe we can come up with some better ideas.

Yeah, I had dual 400w on the 90, had. Chiller and the halides alone cost like 25 bucks a month. Switching to led was the biggest money saver

 

[prsnlty]

There are a lot to things you can do to cut a power bill. A FEW were mentioned already. I have 3 tanks (189g, 45g, 29g) running currently and 2 with t5 and led combos. All pumps went to DC, got low wattage jebao powerheads, run my skimmers at night (since I don't overfeed), use led wherever possible in the tank and home. Timers on water heater, don't let anyone just run and run the water. Made everyone take their clothes out of the dryer when done so they don't turn it back on because their forgotten clothes are wrinkled. Unplug all things not continuously used, use a toaster oven whenever possible instead of heating up the big oven, led motion solar lights outside, change heat and air filters every 30 days. Kick people out of the bathroom after 20 minutes (I had 4 teens at once here) if you can't get them out then turn the house water off or water heater- they'll learn My bill went from $425 in August to $190 in very hot Florida. Which reminds me, either in or out, not standing with open doors talking! Lol

 

[Opus]

I figure my 75gal and 30gal cost somewhere between $50 and $75 per month to run. My total bill is around $200/month if there is no A/C or heater activity in the house. I'm on a Co-op so can't change electric companies every few months like some of my coworkers do.

 

[Fishfinder]

Does going from AC to DC pumps help that much?

 

[lauderdalestunner]

In my case something's are left better unknown. But A/C in south FL is the biggest expense both my wife and tank like it set a 71 year round. But no chiller or heater

 

[Labridaedicted]

Does going from AC to DC pumps help that much?

Yeah, in my research, I found them to be 25 to 50 percent more efficient for a comparable size. Also, on an ac pump, power level is not adjustable, so they often end up using a valve to dial back while using the same power. DC pumps have adjustable power levels.

 

[prsnlty]

In my case something's are left better unknown. But A/C in south FL is the biggest expense both my wife and tank like it set a 71 year round. But no chiller or heater

Mine is set at 73 in West central fl.

 

[DracoKat]

I think my return pump is DC already, gotta check.

I have a 4-bulb T5HO coralife fixture and an SBar LED light strip, both 48"- I just now reduced the lighting down by 2 hours on both

I am curious if running skmmer for 12 hours make the difference too.

 

[prsnlty]

I think my return pump is DC already, gotta check.

I have a 4-bulb T5HO coralife fixture and an SBar LED light strip, both 48"- I just now reduced the lighting down by 2 hours on both

I am curious if running skmmer for 12 hours make the difference too.

Depends on your bioload if it's worth it or not. Mine comes on when my fuge light comes on at night and goes off at the same time in the morning