how much is your electric bill>????

**golfish** · 01-10-2002, 11:55 AM

about 200.00 a month

Rin · 01-10-2002, 01:37 PM

1000 watts of light, 2 powerheads, mag9, skimmer pump, and a 250w heater that almost never operates: adds about $35/month to my electric bill.

newreefman1 · 01-10-2002, 01:41 PM

Ninong,

its not as easy as just calculating on that calculator...

You can plug in anything you want but until you figure out their formula...youll never really know

I spend hours on the phone with SDGE....Baseline, nonbaseline...

and then the Kw/hr charge is also tiered based on useage..

So...
For example..you could pay 10 cents a kw/h for the 1st 400 watter but if that takes you to the next tier, then you will pay 12 cents for the 2nd....and do you have vhos??? well maybe that takes you to the next tier...so now those lights cost 14 cents a kw/hr.

It takes way too long to explain everything but as I am in the process of working out my final business plan and getting things going, I looked into energy rates to the nth degree to figure out my maximum cost.

thezookeeper · 01-10-2002, 03:45 PM

75 gallon with 20 gallon sump:

2-250 watt Iwasaki's
80 watts NO actinic
4 MJ powerheads
1 Rio for skimmer
1 mag 7 return pump
1 LOA under stand light for refugium
1 300 watt heater

Also have a 46 gallon bowfront and several reptiles with lights.

My salt tank itself probably added $50 bux a month.

**Ninong** · 01-10-2002, 04:08 PM

Jason,

It's not hard to figure out at all.

This is the same thing as figuring out how much tax you will owe on your last dollar of income during the year (your marginal tax rate).

Since a reef-tank is not essential to anyone's everyday living, you should simply plug in the highest tier rate to calculate how much extra you are paying for the joy of keeping a reef-tank over and above the cost of electricity for things like lighting your home or running your refrigerator, etc.

So, if your marginal rate is 18 cents per KWH, you should plug that number into the calculator instead of the default rate of 12 cents per KWH. And, if your rate changes every other month

, you can just adjust your initial calculation by whatever percentage your marginal rate went either up or down. So if you calculate that it costs $100/mo extra to keep your tank at 18 cents per KWH and then SDGE raises your marginal rate to 27 cents per KWH

, your tank is now costing you $150/mo extra.

Ninong

Ltspd · 01-10-2002, 05:37 PM

Take your amp draw of the device and multiply that by 120v which gives you watts used per hour. Take that number and multiply it by 24 hrs, then multiply that by the number of days in the month. Divide that number by 1000 to get KWH then multiply the result by the KWH rate you are charged.

Example
dolphin am3000 using 1 amp

1x120 = 120w
120x24 = 2880w per day
2880 wpd x 30days = 86400 watts used per month
86400 WPM / 1000 = 86.4 KWH
86.4KWH x .10/kwh = $8.64 per month

This brings up something I have said before concerning the e-ballat that say the burn the bulb with less wattage. They may still require more amps to run the ballast, but lose some of that in underpowering the bulb. This I imagine is know as ballast efficiency. So even though they claim to use less watts, they may still use more amps and dont really save as much money as thought.

**kevinpo** · 01-10-2002, 07:12 PM

If you use Ltspd formula be sure to remember if you are calculating lights only put in the hours they are on not 24. Don't want you to have a heart attack from the error

Kevin

ridetheducati · 01-10-2002, 08:43 PM

Total wattage of all equipment = 1420w

@ 4 cents per KWH

adds roughly $25 per month to electric bill. I am adding 1200 extra watts of Metal Halides tomorrow, bill will probably go up another 25-30 bucks.

$60 per month is not nearly as bad as the left coast.

naser · 01-10-2002, 08:49 PM

well my last bill was 140 now its 289. i have some new pumps but not 149 dollars more.

Ltspd · 01-10-2002, 09:12 PM

kevinpo is correct.

ridetheducati, you can not base this on watt usuage. Like I stated in the last paragraph the amps is what deterines the amount of KWH used. Just becasue a mh is 250w doesnt mean that it only pulls 2.08amps, its based on the efficinecy of the ballast to use the amps to best provide the output of wattage the lamps need. You are lucky to have a .04 kwh, wish we all did

Pumps are diffrent because this is a elec motor, and they are a bit more efficient FWIU.

Naser, if your elec company is like mine, the dec bill is always the highest. If you call them they will tell you its the christmas lights

I think they just estimate it high and make up for it on the next reading of the meter.

**scubadude** · 01-10-2002, 11:10 PM

220g right now cost about 70bux a month right now....in another week when I have the chiller and 4 MJ's on a wave strip and some moon lights, im sure I will be up past $100mo.

naser · 01-11-2002, 01:58 AM

god we have expensive hobbies....

Barry N. · 01-11-2002, 02:18 AM

cheaper than my classic cars...

naser · 01-11-2002, 02:20 AM

welp maybe you should loan me your tank barry.

Barry N. · 01-11-2002, 12:19 PM

Neil, don't you also have a chiller? I have heard that they will rob your electric as well.

Barry

Loan you my tank, sure bring all those frags you want and you can fill up my tank

naser · 01-11-2002, 12:24 PM

no way on the chiller... i have the thing fanned like crazy to try to keep it cool.

tubs · 01-11-2002, 03:35 PM

Gosh I think I'm a little too close to Randy and am crazy to be answering this. Maybe I might wake up as well from this nightmare. Talk about legal robbery.

On my 100 I've got 1000w of lighting, a 1/4hp chiller, and all the other goodies.

On my 180 I've got 2000w of lighting a 1/3hp chiller and again all the other standard fare. Now instead of using all 4 400watters on this system I've turned off 2 permanently for now.

This comes out to about 400-450. Am i crazy too? My wife thinks so because she takes cares of the bills so she knows and I can't hide it. Maybe I'm coming into my senses as I'm thinking of consolidating everything into the 180 and then use just 3 400 watters. Then maybe I'm only saving 100 but then again that's 1200/yr.

Rob · 01-11-2002, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eses
Atleast I now know I have a ways to go before the power company thinks I'm growing Marijuana in my basement.

Thank you all for making me feel better.

At least they don't suspect that it's Caulerpa

I got on the fixed budget, so I pay a flat $180 per month in NYC. I used to pay about $150, before the reef tank habit.

The 90g and a 55g. are lit by three 65w PCs and three 96w PC's respectively. Lots of pumps and powerheads. I have no idea how much juice my tube amps and radios use, but they sure help keep the house warm in Winter!

naser · 01-12-2002, 03:32 AM

hey tubs nice to see you back around here.... we all feel you.. thank god for me my lady doesnt pay that bill and she hates the computer...

im still looking for that green slimer.

01-10-2002, 01:37 PM	#22
Rin Mayor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Leesburg, GA Posts: 774	1000 watts of light, 2 powerheads, mag9, skimmer pump, and a 250w heater that almost never operates: adds about $35/month to my electric bill. __________________ -Todd

01-10-2002, 01:41 PM	#23
newreefman1 Council Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: SanDiego Posts: 310	Ninong, its not as easy as just calculating on that calculator... You can plug in anything you want but until you figure out their formula...youll never really know I spend hours on the phone with SDGE....Baseline, nonbaseline... and then the Kw/hr charge is also tiered based on useage.. So... For example..you could pay 10 cents a kw/h for the 1st 400 watter but if that takes you to the next tier, then you will pay 12 cents for the 2nd....and do you have vhos??? well maybe that takes you to the next tier...so now those lights cost 14 cents a kw/hr. It takes way too long to explain everything but as I am in the process of working out my final business plan and getting things going, I looked into energy rates to the nth degree to figure out my maximum cost. __________________ http://members.home.net/jasonco6/fulltank

01-10-2002, 03:45 PM	#24
thezookeeper Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Pittsburgh,PA, USA Posts: 992	75 gallon with 20 gallon sump: 2-250 watt Iwasaki's 80 watts NO actinic 4 MJ powerheads 1 Rio for skimmer 1 mag 7 return pump 1 LOA under stand light for refugium 1 300 watt heater Also have a 46 gallon bowfront and several reptiles with lights. My salt tank itself probably added $50 bux a month. __________________ "Life savings? Sure, it's that brightly lit object sitting in the livingroom."

01-10-2002, 05:37 PM	#26
Ltspd Governor Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Arden, NC USA Posts: 2,767	Take your amp draw of the device and multiply that by 120v which gives you watts used per hour. Take that number and multiply it by 24 hrs, then multiply that by the number of days in the month. Divide that number by 1000 to get KWH then multiply the result by the KWH rate you are charged. Example dolphin am3000 using 1 amp 1x120 = 120w 120x24 = 2880w per day 2880 wpd x 30days = 86400 watts used per month 86400 WPM / 1000 = 86.4 KWH 86.4KWH x .10/kwh = $8.64 per month This brings up something I have said before concerning the e-ballat that say the burn the bulb with less wattage. They may still require more amps to run the ballast, but lose some of that in underpowering the bulb. This I imagine is know as ballast efficiency. So even though they claim to use less watts, they may still use more amps and dont really save as much money as thought. __________________ Paul C Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

01-10-2002, 07:12 PM	#27
kevinpo Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Spokane Valley WA Posts: 2,452	If you use Ltspd formula be sure to remember if you are calculating lights only put in the hours they are on not 24. Don't want you to have a heart attack from the error Kevin __________________ SPSguy On - On

01-10-2002, 11:55 AM	#21
golfish Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Alta Loma,Ca Posts: 2,943	about 200.00 a month

01-10-2002, 04:08 PM	#25
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 20,691	Jason, It's not hard to figure out at all. This is the same thing as figuring out how much tax you will owe on your last dollar of income during the year (your marginal tax rate). Since a reef-tank is not essential to anyone's everyday living, you should simply plug in the highest tier rate to calculate how much extra you are paying for the joy of keeping a reef-tank over and above the cost of electricity for things like lighting your home or running your refrigerator, etc. So, if your marginal rate is 18 cents per KWH, you should plug that number into the calculator instead of the default rate of 12 cents per KWH. And, if your rate changes every other month , you can just adjust your initial calculation by whatever percentage your marginal rate went either up or down. So if you calculate that it costs $100/mo extra to keep your tank at 18 cents per KWH and then SDGE raises your marginal rate to 27 cents per KWH , your tank is now costing you $150/mo extra. Ninong

01-10-2002, 08:43 PM	#28
ridetheducati Citizen Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Bowie, MD Posts: 120	Total wattage of all equipment = 1420w @ 4 cents per KWH adds roughly $25 per month to electric bill. I am adding 1200 extra watts of Metal Halides tomorrow, bill will probably go up another 25-30 bucks. $60 per month is not nearly as bad as the left coast. __________________ Ab uno disce omnes. 180g reef,150g reef, 55g sump, 55g Refugium, 225#LR, 6" DSB, 1600 watts of MH, GEO skimmer (40"), GEO Reactor Last edited by ridetheducati; 01-10-2002 at 08:46 PM.

01-10-2002, 08:49 PM	#29
naser super-reefer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA Posts: 1,908	well my last bill was 140 now its 289. i have some new pumps but not 149 dollars more.

01-10-2002, 09:12 PM	#30
Ltspd Governor Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Arden, NC USA Posts: 2,767	kevinpo is correct. ridetheducati, you can not base this on watt usuage. Like I stated in the last paragraph the amps is what deterines the amount of KWH used. Just becasue a mh is 250w doesnt mean that it only pulls 2.08amps, its based on the efficinecy of the ballast to use the amps to best provide the output of wattage the lamps need. You are lucky to have a .04 kwh, wish we all did Pumps are diffrent because this is a elec motor, and they are a bit more efficient FWIU. Naser, if your elec company is like mine, the dec bill is always the highest. If you call them they will tell you its the christmas lights I think they just estimate it high and make up for it on the next reading of the meter. __________________ Paul C Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

01-10-2002, 11:10 PM	#31
scubadude Moderator Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 5,315	220g right now cost about 70bux a month right now....in another week when I have the chiller and 4 MJ's on a wave strip and some moon lights, im sure I will be up past $100mo. __________________ Rocky

01-11-2002, 01:58 AM	#32
naser super-reefer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA Posts: 1,908	god we have expensive hobbies....

01-11-2002, 02:18 AM	#33
Barry N. Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,034	cheaper than my classic cars... __________________ Barry ClamsDirect.Com

01-11-2002, 02:20 AM	#34
naser super-reefer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA Posts: 1,908	welp maybe you should loan me your tank barry.

01-11-2002, 12:19 PM	#35
Barry N. Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,034	Neil, don't you also have a chiller? I have heard that they will rob your electric as well. Barry Loan you my tank, sure bring all those frags you want and you can fill up my tank __________________ Barry ClamsDirect.Com

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01-11-2002, 12:24 PM	#36
naser super-reefer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA Posts: 1,908	no way on the chiller... i have the thing fanned like crazy to try to keep it cool.

01-11-2002, 03:35 PM	#37
tubs Council Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Milpitas CA USA Posts: 315	Gosh I think I'm a little too close to Randy and am crazy to be answering this. Maybe I might wake up as well from this nightmare. Talk about legal robbery. On my 100 I've got 1000w of lighting, a 1/4hp chiller, and all the other goodies. On my 180 I've got 2000w of lighting a 1/3hp chiller and again all the other standard fare. Now instead of using all 4 400watters on this system I've turned off 2 permanently for now. This comes out to about 400-450. Am i crazy too? My wife thinks so because she takes cares of the bills so she knows and I can't hide it. Maybe I'm coming into my senses as I'm thinking of consolidating everything into the 180 and then use just 3 400 watters. Then maybe I'm only saving 100 but then again that's 1200/yr. __________________ John Susbilla Visit my "Flashy" site: John's Reef Flat Reefkeeping Tank of the Month Feb 2002 SEABay Webmaster tubs@attbi.com

01-12-2002, 03:32 AM	#39
naser super-reefer Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA Posts: 1,908	hey tubs nice to see you back around here.... we all feel you.. thank god for me my lady doesnt pay that bill and she hates the computer... im still looking for that green slimer.

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