Reef tank electricity $450?!?!

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Ok. Yea here in NJ if they can’t make it out to your house to read the meter they just guess, and then when you get the actual reading it’s a big chunk of cash. Happened to us last summer before we told them we wouldn’t accept any more estimates.

That was the Chicago way also when I was living there.

 

[GlassMunky]

All of our meters are digital and are cellular. The signal routinely goes to the central point for reading. We don't have the old school meter readers for electric anymore. Even the water is now 'digital'.

We just got those new meters last month here

 

[BeanAnimal]

Basic math… it is not the tank or heater. You used 1200 KWh. The heater 24/7 would be 144kWh.

if the meter was not reporting, it may be two months of charges and the bulk of that at tier two over the baseline, so further inflated. If 1200 was the actual usage, something else in your home is at fault, not the tiny aquarium.

 

[House_of_Coral]

Hi all so I usually average maybe $60 a month for my reef tank electricity but this last month I hit $450 for my 50 gallon cube. Has anyone experienced the same? How can I heat tank more efficiently during the cold months?

Energy companies have raised their rates again. They say it’s because of the war in Ukraine raising the cost of natural gas which is what they use to produce electricity. They don’t source from Russia and none of the companies they purchase from are really impacted. However, “the marginal supplier sets the price”. At least that’s what said, seems they don’t account for China getting natural gas dirt cheap though .

So the electric companies have pushed the narrative that they need to be able to raise rates. This is something congress and even state AGs can protect us from but they pretend their hands are tied. I have National Grid as a supplier here. Their 2022 profits went up 50% and most of the natural gas prices had their steepest increase in that year. My total combined KWh (fees and all) went from .26 to .47!

my frag tank went from $60-$140 and my fowlr jumped $120. I live in New England and have to heat the tanks.

Things I’ve done to save $

wrapped the frag tank in insulation (reflective bubble stuff you get when you order coral).

put timers on pumps/skimmers to cut their run time in half.

covered the tanks with clear poly sheets.

most of the electrical cost were cut by 30-40% and the supplies will pay for themselves my first electric bill.

looking forward it seems like things are only going to get worse. I love this hobby but the upcoming financial issues we are going to face will start to out-price many in the hobby and Industry itself.

 

[House_of_Coral]

Basic math… it is not the tank or heater. You used 1200 KWh. The heater 24/7 would be 144kWh.

if the meter was not reporting, it may be two months of charges and the bulk of that at tier two over the baseline, so further inflated. If 1200 was the actual usage, something else in your home is at fault, not the tiny aquarium.

I don’t think his heater alone is the issue but the heaters are the biggest users right behind lighting (depending on lighting). Heating water is not cheap. It accounts for half of my tank’s electrical costs.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I don’t think his heater alone is the issue but the heaters are the biggest users right behind lighting (depending on lighting). Heating water is not cheap. It accounts for half of my tank’s electrical costs.

But there is no voodoo -- A watt is a watt. A 300w heater puts out 3.41 BTU per watt... no more no less. there is no more efficient or less efficient (resistance coil) heater. They are all exactly the same.

There are 24 hours in a day.
There are 1000 Watts in a kWh.
A 300w heater running for 1 Hour produces exactly 1023 BTUs and consumed .3 kWh.

If the heater runs for all 24 hours it will impart 24552 BTUs into the water and use 7.2 kWh.
Run for 30 days, that is 172.8 kWh

So even at $1 per kWh that is $172.80 --- a far cry from $450
He is not Paying $1 - I think was .30 or something per kWh (not going back to look)

You can do the same for your pump, AC or whatever. The point is that even if malfunctioning (on all of the time) his heater can not be responsible for more than a small fraction of his bill.

 

[House_of_Coral]

But there is no voodoo -- I watt is a watt. A 300w heater puts out 3.41 BTU per watt... no more no less. there is no more efficient or less efficient (resistance coil) heater. They are all exactly the same.

There are 24 hours in a day.
There are 1000 Watts in a kWh.
A 300w heater running for 1 Hour produces exactly 1023 BTUs and consumed .3 kWh.

If the heater runs for all 24 hours it will impart 24552 BTUs into the water and use 7.2 kWh.
Run for 30 days, that is 172.8 kWh

So even at $1 per kWh that is $172.80 --- a far cry from $450
He is not Paying $1 - I think was .30 or something per kWh (not going back to look)

You can do the same for your pump, AC or whatever. The point is that even if malfunctioning (on all of the time) his heater can not be responsible for more than a small fraction of his bill.

I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. I’m just pointing out that the heater is the most expensive in terms of electric consumption (in applicable circumstances and anecdotal at best). I don’t know what his ambient air temperature is but if he is heating tanks in the winter it probably is the larger portion of his reef tank electrical costs. My ambient room temperature is 68F. I keep the tanks at 76F. Just heating the water that 8 degree difference accounts for 50% of my tanks’ operating costs.