Some questions about electrical cost

[hrdneglcry]

Hi. I have been in the honby many years but never paid much attention to the electrical cost. I am running a 120, a 90 and a 40. I used BRS energy calculator and it says I am spending about $65 per month not counting the 40 gallon. But last months bill was 185 so I am notnsure that is accurate. I'd be okay if they only cost $65 per month. How accurate are the energy calculators? I have been trying to fond something else that I am running that is tunning thay bill so high but I cannot. I do run the electric dryer alot and the electric stove but everything I've looked up don't put those costs very high.

 

[ninjamyst]

Most electric companies allow you to view daily usage so just turn off lights and wavemakers and heaters and skimmer for one day and see how much your usage drops. Only run return pump

 

[blaxsun]

My 200-gallon system runs me ~$65 CAD a month alone in electricity. And everything is either DC or tweaked to maximize efficiency.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have been trying to fond something else that I am running that is tunning thay bill so high but I cannot.

Are you sure that your bill is high compared to others in your area? I only ask because I would love to have a sub $200 electric bill. I live in a low cost of living state and my bill usually runs around $500, and I am sure there are plenty of other users on here who would love to only have a $500 bill.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Well I used BRS energy calculator. My lights have to be costing the most. I rarely see my heaters on. I assume my pumps are heating the water. I am considering getting rid of my Chaetomorpha Algae and shutting down the sump lights. One tank has a 65 watt maxspect Led and the other has a 30 Nicrew led. They run about 12 hours each.
Would that be worth the saving?
Also I could take downmy T5 fixture on one tank and use the two Leds from the sumps on that one tank.
The fish store guy said leds are not as big as savings as you might think over led for energy cost.
Would it be worthwhile to switch the T5 to the Led?

 

[MNFish]

Many local libraries have power meters you can plug into to get energy usage. Your utility company may have one you can use as well. I would suggest using one to get exact numbers before making any changes.

 

[Lochekey]

You could pick up a cheap kilowatt meter and just test each tank for a few days to figure out actual usage. This would also allow you to test individual pieces of equipment to test actual power draw.


Something like this works decently, or there are some cheaper alternatives.

 

[Lochekey]

As for switching between the T5s and the leds it is hard to calculate savings without knowing the specs on the T5 fixtures. What length fixtures and how many bulbs? Knowing this will help calculate the operating cost difference between the fixtures. Also, are you running the LED fixtures at 100% or are they dimmed?

One other thing to consider though is if you take lights off line, the heat gain your tank is receiving from these devices will have to be made up by the heaters so you will not have a direct 1to1 savings for every watt of lights you take offline.


As you can see there are more than a few variables that will effect calculating energy costs. You can get close estimates on the savings with some more information but as I mentioned earlier it may be easier to just use a meter to test.