dante411x March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 I'm trying to figure out how much the tank is costing me per month. In power, water is cheap. I can't seem to figure out what each piece of equipment uses, some are easy but others are more difficult. Here's the list of stuff that I can think of. Lighting: 3x 250w metal halide run by electronic external ballast. 4x 90? (96 or 94) w power compact. 1 par38 bulb for refugium Pumps: wave line dc10000 return pump. I run it at the 4/6 setting. Iwaki 55rlt pump for skimmer. 2 jebao wp40's 1 mj400 that's in the salt mixing bucket 500w titanium heater. It seems to be on about 50% of the time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linkfalcon March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Watt a meter or a controllor that read amp load Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Here is something that the wise and all knowing Origami posted years ago. 1 Watt, if consumed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, will cost you roughly $1 per year. If you do the math, that's 8760 hours per year or around 11.4 cents per kWhr. Now the price of a kWhr varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but 11.4 cents is probably a little on the low side here for you Marylanders. Here's a table from the Department of Energy on the subject covering cost per kWhr by state: http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_06_a So, if your skimmer runs continuously and consumes 30 Watts, it's costing you roughly $30 per year to operate (electricity only). If you have a return pump that's burning 130 Watts, that's another $130 per year. If you're running 400 Watts of lights for 8 hours a day (1/3 of a day), that's costing you around $400/3 = $133 per year. And so on. It's admittedly a rough calculation, but it gets you in the ballpark and provides a sense of additional understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 I have a watt meter if you want to borrow. You can pick one up at Harbor freight. Got bored and figured my system was costing 30-40 a month in electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 I have used this formula: Wattage/1000 X your cost per kWh X hours on X 30 days per month estimating how many hours a day each piece of equipment is on, which is really a shot in the dark, even with an apex monitoring heaters, lights, etc., but I feel gives a good "general" number. This month I have 6 tanks (5fw and 1sw), I estimate it costs me less than 40$ a month in electricity to run them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Best formula to use. Add up all the costs of your tank. Then erase and hide evidence of your calculations. Then tell yourself it's only a little bit. If you're really intent on figuring it out, you can use this table from reefcentral and plug in your numbers: http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 This surprises me quite a bit. I assumed that most large reef tanks were costing their owners at least a couple hundred a month, which is why I decided to use natural sunlight in a greenhouse and a rounded tank in which I could generate a circular flow. Maybe I came to that conclusion back in the days when everyone had high wattage HID lighting, whereas most people now probably use LEDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 My electric bill did go up with the bigger tank and equipment, and it's not even that big of a system compared to most. Here's a question - Would it be more efficient to run an oversized heater that heats up the water quickly and shuts off, or one that's appropriately rated for your system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Here's a question - Would it be more efficient to run an oversized heater that heats up the water quickly and shuts off, or one that's appropriately rated for your system? Neither. Resistive heating is 100% efficient. Thus one is no better than the other, cost-wise. However, wear and tear on the switch might be considered. "Appropriately rated" is such a subjective term, too. You need the capacity, but you also need the extra capacity to deal with heater failures, colder-than-normal situations, etc. Finally, a word on the cost. Except for the actual work performed or light output, most energy losses in our system translate to heat. Thus, in the winter time, our tanks supplement the heating in our homes, offsetting the cost there. Conversely, in the summer time, they add heat to our homes, so we pay not only for running the equipment, but removing the added heat from our homes - so you kind of pay twice. In the end, it kind of balances out, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Seriously, why do you even ask this question. It is best not to know the truth or there would be no way to justify this hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Seriously, why do you even ask this question. It is best not to know the truth or there would be no way to justify this hobby. I have to know... in thus how to split the Electric Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 Best formula to use. Add up all the costs of your tank. Then erase and hide evidence of your calculations. Then tell yourself it's only a little bit. I see we have a similar formula that reaches the same results. My electric bill did go up with the bigger tank and equipment, and it's not even that big of a system compared to most. Yep, sure does, you see it quickly! Seriously, why do you even ask this question. It is best not to know the truth or there would be no way to justify this hobby. This the real life for ya'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef March 4, 2014 Share March 4, 2014 I have to know... in thus how to split the Electric Bill. Lol... I don't split mine... I make my husband pay the wholeeeeeee thing...And I justify this by telling him I would let it be 60 in the house all winter to save the money...he wants it on 69,lol so. Blame it n the heat...and then I blame it on the AC in the summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x March 5, 2014 Author Share March 5, 2014 I have to know... in thus how to split the Electric Bill. Hit the nail on the head on this one. I have le roommates, so making them pay for my fish tank sounds not cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x March 5, 2014 Author Share March 5, 2014 I have used this formula: Wattage/1000 X your cost per kWh X hours on X 30 days per month estimating how many hours a day each piece of equipment is on, which is really a shot in the dark, even with an apex monitoring heaters, lights, etc., but I feel gives a good "general" number. This month I have 6 tanks (5fw and 1sw), I estimate it costs me less than 40$ a month in electricity to run them. Best formula to use. Add up all the costs of your tank. Then erase and hide evidence of your calculations. Then tell yourself it's only a little bit. If you're really intent on figuring it out, you can use this table from reefcentral and plug in your numbers: http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical I have a watt meter if you want to borrow. You can pick one up at Harbor freight. Got bored and figured my system was costing 30-40 a month in electric. I may need to borrow one. Or buy one, but seems like a waste. I do have a couple of the lights that I know how much power they use, but not the rest of the lights/pumps etc. Was hoping there was a list somewhere on how much it all pulls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ford March 5, 2014 Share March 5, 2014 I always said its like running a light bulb all day/night. Don't over think some things, You may not like what you find... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 March 5, 2014 Share March 5, 2014 I may need to borrow one. Or buy one, but seems like a waste. I do have a couple of the lights that I know how much power they use, but not the rest of the lights/pumps etc. Was hoping there was a list somewhere on how much it all pulls. Best formula to use. Add up all the costs of your tank. Then erase and hide evidence of your calculations. Then tell yourself it's only a little bit. If you're really intent on figuring it out, you can use this table from reefcentral and plug in your numbers: http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical +1. http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical. Then... fill in the chart to your own specifications.... and Wha-La. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x March 5, 2014 Author Share March 5, 2014 well.. just from basic calculation of power consumption drawn by googling the ratings for all the equipment.. its scary 3x 250w mh - 750w @ 4.5h per day 4x 96w pc - 384w @ 8h per day return pump - 60w @ 24h per day skimmer pump - 192w @ 24h per day heater - 500w @ ~ 12h per day powerheads - ~ 60w @ 24h per day @ 1.285c per kWh... it's $67.39 per month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 5, 2014 Share March 5, 2014 $67.39 per month Before you get some full lights going on in that tank, reactors, dosing pumps, apex, etc I would venture my electric alone costs about that with just the 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x March 5, 2014 Author Share March 5, 2014 yeah, that doesn't include the RLK, the timers, the par38 bulb, the salt mixing pumps, or any of the equipment on the qt tank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS March 5, 2014 Share March 5, 2014 With the 250w mh lights, I would be surprised if the 500w heaters run 50% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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