Plug that shows energy cost...

[thesoulpatch]

So my wife has started noticing a price increase in our energy bill, since it has been cold the past month and is blaming the fish tank. So what products are out there that are cheap and effective, ha i know...., that will do the job of showing the amount of energy being used and can show me the cost of running the fish tank.

Thanks,

Soul

 

[Crabs McJones]

You don't have an apex by chance do you? Otherwise there is the Kill-A-Watt that will tell you how much power you're using and then you just have to do the math based off your citys price per kilowatt.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I think the easiest way would be a breakdown of cost per equipment. If you know the wattage of each you can determine the number of hours each piece is on a day and the cost per kWh.

 

[thesoulpatch]

You don't have an apex by chance do you? Otherwise there is the Kill-A-Watt that will tell you how much power you're using and then you just have to do the math based off your citys price per kilowatt.

Yeah no fancy equipment here.

I think the easiest way would be a breakdown of cost per equipment. If you know the wattage of each you can determine the number of hours each piece is on a day and the cost per kWh.

I actually did find out that marine depot have a electricity calculator on their website so i've been messing with that.

 

[thesoulpatch]

Okay well i did what i could remember on their website and it came out to be like $14 a month so the tank....sooooo seems as though either I'm using more energy than I think or something else in my house is eating up electricity. I'm going to look into getting some of those killawatt plugs and see what is...

Thanks!

 

[Crabs McJones]

FWIW I have a 75 gallon with 4 hydra 26's and t5s, along with return pump, skimmer, fuge light, two 3k powerheads and a 300 watt heater, and my tank is only costing around 35 a month

 

[thesoulpatch]

FWIW I have a 75 gallon with 4 hydra 26's and t5s, along with return pump, skimmer, fuge light, two 3k powerheads and a 300 watt heater, and my tank is only costing around 35 a month

Okay then it's def not my fishtank that is causing the higher bill then. I'll have to look into it.

 

[Auquanut]

If my wife ever gets wind of this thread, I'm never speaking to any of you again! :mad:

Seriously. I run 5 tanks and absolutely don't want to know what it's costing me in water and electrical. Not to mention food, salt, supplements, equipment, etc...

 

[shred5]

Okay then it's def not my fishtank that is causing the higher bill then. I'll have to look into it.

How much does it seem high?

Electrical cost very from state to state.. In California you could pay triple that.

 

[Pickwun]

For your purpose the little single-outlet Kill-A-Watt would make more sense. You could just move it around the house to check all of your draws.
Don't forget that almost every wall-wart or corded adapter you have plugged in is drawing power 24/7. Make a habit to unplug the ones that are just hanging there doing nothing. You can swap most of them with switching power supplies, but those cost money, too.

 

[jda]

In general, houses use more power when it is cold out.

You can get a kill-a-watt at Harbor Freight... find a coupon since there are aways Harbor Freight coupons out there.

 

[Tastee]

I’m using a Kasa smart plug to baseline all the major equipment in my house currently - putting each item on it and letting it gather data for a week. I’ll be moving it from my outside bar fridge to my tank on the weekend. The Kasa kit is pretty good quality and very easy to use so I can recommend it. I’m in Australia but you should have no issues getting it in the States (assuming you are USA based).

Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug – Kasa Smart

Control lighting and other appliances from anywhere with the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug. Schedule connected devices to turn on when you get home, then power down when you go to sleep.

www.kasasmart.com

 

[ztorrico]

Totally agree with the good gentleman above me☝☝☝!! The Kasa Smart Wifi power strip is super underrated! Tracks energy usage... Daily timers... Full app controlability....And def in the states cause I'm here and have one.

 

[BZOFIQ]

dejavu

My Electricity bill has gone double! Could it be due to my new tank?

Back when I started in the reef hobby I was running metal halide and 2 pumps heater etc. my bill was over $300. I had an energy audit from the power company he just scratched his head lol. Gave me a couple of bulbs and a new shower head and left that's when I realized how much my tank cost me...

www.reef2reef.com