Electric bill is killing me

[Kahuna Tuna]

I live in the mountains and our local electric service provider just rapes us up here. We just had a huge rate increase and my bill is out of control largely because of my tank. I am running 3-175 watt MH's (mogul base hamiltons retros) and 4x48 VHO for actinic. I run 2-55 watt PC's for refugium lighting. I also use a few different pumps for the skimmer and another for the attached refugium and an Iwaki 70RLT for the return.

I'm to the point where I seriously need to cut back on my electrical use. I know that if I replace my current sump/refugium with a single and bigger container I can eliminate at least one of the pumps. Living in the mountains means I dont ever need a chiller but this time of year the heater is on a lot.

Are there any alternatives for pumps and or lighting that will make a noticible difference in my electricity bill. TIA

 

[James77]

You could go LEDs, if the rates are as high as you say, they will pay for themselves qucikly. What is your electric rate?

At the very least for lighting, ditch those VHOs for Actinic LED. The savings will be fast betweeen bulb and electric costs. Heat is a pain, if you cut alot of lighting, you wil lose the heat from halides, so the heater may be on that much more.

You can insulate the sump and tank any way you can. There are all sorts of more energy efficient pumps- switching to an internal pump will allow you to use the pumps heat to help heat the water. What do you use for flow?

 

[BigRedNole]

With rates that high, installing solar voltaic cells and collecting energy yourself may be the most cost effective. Tag on the Federal tax incentives for it, it can pay for itself in a few years. Also, the Fed Gov't provides 20 year loans for them. If you have enough space, the cost of having them and paying them off over 20 years may be your best bet. If you generate enough power, the electric company may pay you directly for your electricity. A couple in my area (not neighborhood) started making money on their solar cells. The get paid monthly by the electric company and it covers the "mortgage" payment for the cells (~$125 per month).

 

[cakemanPA]

I switched to LED lighting, SRO skimmer (efficient pump), and water blaster return pump. I no longer need a chiller and I run a heater sporadically.

 

[liz62]

4x48 VHO for actinic -2-55 watt PC's
Ditch both of these.
Replace your refugium light with corkscrew bulb - 28 watt 6500k - walmart carries them.
If you have powerheads - use low wattage ones like the koralia's.

 

[hk855]

I would definitely get rid of the vho's and switch to LEDs that would give you the fastest drop. For heat issues insulate as much of your tank as possible. I had a 180 and last year during winter I didn't run a heater, benefits of San Diego but probably should have. Two things I did that helped drastically, I placed a 1/2" sheet of foam under the tank when I set it up, when I saw my temps in the mid70's I added a sheet behind it and my temp jumped 2 degrees. Had I insulated the sump I would expect it would have jumped a few more as it was on a tile floor. I also covered one side of my tank and that helped out with another degree or so.

For your situation I would set up your new sump with a good amount of insulation and try to insulate your tank and cover as much water to slow evaporation losses. When redoing your sump think about an alternative such as biopellets to the fuge and that would cut out your pc lights.

 

[SwitchedToLinux]

I am going to use a light rail to move my 250 mh across my 6 foot tank. It will replace 2 250 watts of lighting.

 

[Garage1217]

First, you need to list EVERYTHING associated with the tank. Measure what each item is drawing power wise with a kilowatt. Once you have that, calculate what each individual item is costing you. To do this, you can use a tool like my aquarium cost calculator. Once you know the exact numbers, you can enter proposed equipment changes by entering what the rated power draw is. Then you will know exactly what you will be saving. Without measuring / having the facts, you can toss money at it all day and not get very far.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1839506

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

Thanks for the replies, I have been looking at solar for a while and it may be time with the incentives. I was also looking at LED's and I am trying to do a cost analysis, they sure are expensive.

There are all sorts of more energy efficient pumps- switching to an internal pump will allow you to use the pumps heat to help heat the water. What do you use for flow?

This was my thought with the new sump as well, go with a more efficient submersible pump and utilize the heat from that. I love the Iwaki, that thing has been bulletproof but it is a guzzler.

Replace your refugium light with corkscrew bulb - 28 watt 6500k - walmart carries them.

That is a great idea, I'm going to get a reflector amd start with one of these.

Without measuring / having the facts, you can toss money at it all day and not get very far.

Excellent point, that is certainly my goal, cost analysis will be the ulitmate factor. Throwing money at anything these days is not an option. That cost calculator is a great piece of work, thanks.

My main display is in my house and is plumbed through wall into my garage where my sump, 60 gallon refugium, and RO/DI make up water are located. All of the equiptment is located in a plywood box which really needs to be better insulated. I forgot to mention my tunze powerheads (2), I really need to look at those and invest in a controller. Wintertime is when my electric bill is highest and thank goodness we dont need either AC for the house or a chiller for the tank. It seems better insulation and better choices in equiptment may be my best options. Thank you to all that replied!

 

[RGibson]

Kahuna Tuna could you tell us how many KWH you used a month.

 

[moondoggy4]

Are you on a tier system. Are you with Edison? I feel your pain, flatlander here.

 

[the_real_brian]

• Confiscate your kid's TVs, they're making them retarded anyway.
• Replace all your light switches with timers like on the heat lamps in hotel bathrooms.
• Put a locking enclosure on your furnace/AC thermostat. You pay the bills, no one else has any business messing with it.

Your tank should be the last place you look to cut back, JMO.

 

[wwu123]

Just curious, from your past posts, sounds like your reef tank is mostly for fish. Is there coral in there, if not, does it need 700 watts of lighting at all times? But sounds like your biggest problem is the heat loss in the unheated garage - how many watts of supplemental heating do you need to run? Insulation is your friend!

I'm in northern California and sympathize with the atrocious marginal electricity rates - in the winter, I get into the $0.40/kwh range in my neighborhood.

 

[James77]

Your tank should be the last place you look to cut back, JMO.

Yes, only when the rest of the household is walking around with candles at night do you cut back on this hobby.

 

[RGibson]

First, you need to list EVERYTHING associated with the tank. Measure what each item is drawing power wise with a kilowatt. Once you have that, calculate what each individual item is costing you. To do this, you can use a tool like my aquarium cost calculator. Once you know the exact numbers, you can enter proposed equipment changes by entering what the rated power draw is. Then you will know exactly what you will be saving. Without measuring / having the facts, you can toss money at it all day and not get very far.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1839506

Garage 1217 will said, you have told the best way to start to save money.

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

I cant make sense out of this bill but we just paid over $1,162 bucks for 68 days of service. Our rates just went up 1-1-11, and we just paid $220 more than we would have this time last year. It says my current usage is 4,381 KWH avg/day which makes no sense. Looks like they are getting $ .29 KWH right now. Yes I am on the tier system and our local provider (Billy Bob's electric) is just a middle man.

The TV's don't get much use here, the tanks and the spa are the biggest offenders. The lights rarely get left on since my daughter left for college. The spa isn't an option, that belongs to the missus. I know I'm just throwing money away on the tank right now and need to rectify that with some appropriate lighting and some insulation. Thanks so much for the help.

 

[KafudaFish]

Wow.

You won't like reading this but my last electric bill was under $100.00 for 32 days.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Post your tiers and rates.

The spa is likely killing you!

If you have a heating issue, then a submersible (or water cooled external) pump will certainly help put the wattage they consume to greater use. If you have a heat problem for part of the year, then you are not gaining much ground. Some folks run different pumps depending on the season, so that they can benefit from the heat of a pump in the winter.

How many gallons do you evaporate a day? You get a little over 8,000 BTU of cooling per gallon evaporated. If you already have to run heaters 24/7 then evaporation is not helping you at all!

As others have mentioned, ditch the VHOs no matter what. You will be far better off from an efficiency standpoint with halides and good reflectors, T5s with SLRs or LEDS (though I don't feel LEDs are there yet).

Did I say the SPA is killing you? Indoor our outdoor? Year of manufacture? Insulation? Etc. The SPA is killing you

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

The SPA is killing you

Yea. The tank is my baby, the tub is hers. I truly think both the spa and tank are killing me right now but the tank will be easier to deal with. I'm going to do all of the cheap fixes first like the insulation of the sump and ditching the PC's and VHO's, cutting back on lighting and putting the powerheads on a timer.

Any recommendations on a submersible pump? My current Iwaki is rated at 1500 GPH at the current head height and I would like to keep that the same if not increase the flow. I can take more heat, it never gets hot enough for a chiller here.

Any other reccomendations for LED's? I have been checking those out and have no idea what I need in terms of lighting.

You won't like reading this but my last electric bill was under $100.00 for 32 days.

I'm born and rasied So Cal so I'm used to getting reamed on a daily basis but living in a small resort town in the mountains of So Cal takes it to a whole new level.

 

[LifeAquatic]

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It seems like youe electric usage is through the roof. I would double check that one of your neighbors hasnt tapped into your power source. I live in So cal to and the electric bill is always in tier 4. Tier 4 is about .40 a kilowatt. With 2 people living at my house, 1500 watts just for the fish tank, the bill is always $160-180 a month.