Is $$$ of LED worth it???

E

eddiesylas

Premium Member
OK what am I missing?

I live in Groton.
The Rate for electricity is $0.137/kWh.
To drive (8) 54 Watt T-5s for 12 hours/day is ~ $265/year ($22/month)
The cost of bulbs is ~ $165/year ($13.75/month)
Cost of fan $5/year

To drive (4) 90 Watt LEDs for 12 hours/day is ~ $220/year ($18.40/month)

That is a $215/year savings

Aqua Illumination sells their 48" unit for $2445 (neat product though)

It would take 11 years to make up for the cost of the unit.:confused:

DIY 48" unit $800 ("on/off" with no extras and you really know what you are doing and get it right the first time...)

It would take 3.6 years to make up for the cost of the unit.:confused:
 
Its called capitalism at its best, coupled with ppl who cant even wipe themselves anymore and are willing to pay anything not to get their hands dirty IMHO.
 
I see it as the "New and Shiny" Syndrome. The units are nice and I am not going to say I haven't been caught up in "I want it and I want it now..." but I cant justify this in any way shape or form.
 
Why do people pay $400 for a pair of clownfish with unusual markings?

Why do people pay top dollar for a BMW or Mercedes when a similar quality car made in the US (or Japan) is cheaper?

If you are buying things to try and justify a cost/benefit then this is not the right hobby. People will pay $50 for a single beanie baby or a single Purple Hornet Polyp.

To you it is not justifiable- to others - let's just say this is sometimes more of a "crazy addiction" instead of a hobby.
 
Yes but is the light is the tool or a toy? The sweet zoe (or whatever) IS the point while the light gets you there. LED with nano aquarium seems to have real potential but larger setups that allow for more space for lots of different T-5 bulbs... There is a point were it is wasted money. Phil519, aren't you a banker???
 
In NY - $300 per sq ft in a manhattan apt is a bargain.
In TX - an apt at that rate would be crazy

A maxijet mod is a bargain
A ecovortech 40mp or Tunze 6200 is not.

Is it wasted money? Perhaps.

btw - your cost/benefit is inaccurate. You need to factor in the fact that LEDs last 50,000 hrs. That's about 10 years of bulbs you buy for T5s. But let's be realistic - manufacturers totally inflate that kind of info. So it goes back to the point that people who buy this stuff want it. I'm just saying people in this hobby will always pay top dollar for something different.

Elos rimless tanks
zeroedge tanks
the list goes on...

I wish I had that kind of money to spend/waste! lol.
 
Some of what you are paying for is the controller (it is patented which costs $$$$$$$$). You are also paying for a warranty, technical help, the people to put it together and all the costs associated with labor.

You can raise clown fish for $3, so why do people pay $10 in a store?

You can get most all your news from the Internet, so why do people buy newspapers?

Why do people buy fresh corn or tomatoes when you can grow it yourself?

It is all a matter of what you are willing to pay for something.

You will have the chance to learn the advantages of LED lighting at our April 25th meeting. You might even have the chance to win a fixture.
 
it is simple led's are cool. not just for tanks an led flashlight is way better than an incandescent one( tighter beam and way brighter not to mention the fact that you could leave it on of 48 hours and still have light) I would buy an led light just because it is an LED.
 
They will be worth it in few years when the price of LED's will go down. Now only those with fat wallets can enjoy them and test them for us, lol.
 
Depends on each individual's situation. I'll give you a perfect example:
I run 4 main tanks consisting of 6x39w T5, 4x39w T5, 6x80w overdriven T5, 2x250w MH with 2x110w VHO.
My electric bill from mid July to mid August was $419 and my rates are one of the lowest in CT. It's about .13 cent a KW in which the delivery charges & surcharges are already factored in. (when I lived in Long Island it was .24 cents a KW!)
I would safely estimate that half of the $419 is from my pumps and lights for this hobby.
The problem is a domino effect. MH heat up the water more so then T5 but still generate considerable heat. I only run a chiller on the tank with the MH lights because i know that my SPS will not tolerate any temp over 82 degrees. My other tanks get to about 82 - 83 and they are fine. One of the reasons the other tanks hit 82 - 83 degrees even though I have multiple 7" fans blowing into the sumps, 10" fans blowing at the lights is because the chiller kicks on so often in which it heats up the sump room and causes the other tanks to heat up as well.
So if I replace my MH/VHO lights with LEDs, I will generate less heat, possibly cause the chiller to hardly come on, save energy, be greener :)
Even if we can afford to pay these electric bills, it's disturbing and just seems like a whole lot of waste. My daily avg KW consumption for the above period was 107 KW!
After the LEDs, then you need to look into Red Dragon pumps to reduce the other end of the energy hog :lol:
 
I also figured if I just replace the fixtures on 3 of the 4 tanks (72", 48" & 36") I would not have to replace 12 x $22 = $264 (T5), 2 x $120 = $240 (MH), 2 x $25 = $50 (VHO).
That's $554 yearly for bulb replacement.
 
Someone said it best when they noted how LEDs are a great and promising technology that may have a great spot in the aquarium hobby in the FUTURE.

It's all about getting the best quality for the money.

Think of it this way. Many hybrid autos are significantly more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. Since the technology has finally "caught up," or shall we say "been less suppressed" the price point to logic factor is now closer. It's also a measure of how committed one is to the environment. There will always be a niche factor in America that will buy green because it is green(or even because it SAYS it is green- with little practical knowledge or forethought).

Take for instance the new hydrogen cars that are being developed. Are they worth the extra money to be that much more energy efficient? Perhaps. But then some similar questions arise:
1. Are they as good and reliable as x, y tried and true auto?
2. Are parts readily available? Where would I have it serviced?
3. Does the upfront cost really justify what I will save in fuel?

These same questions can be applied to those sparkly new LED fixtures. The only difference is that with LED technology, you can multiply the upfront costs exponentially.

Look at that and you've answered your own question.
 
I dont know a great deal about LED lighting but isnt it true that you only have to replace bulbs every like 15 years? Thats probably an exaggeration but i have heard they last longer than others.

I cannot say if its worth it or not but I will say that if you do make/buy it, you should definitely get lights that can be dimmed cause thats just too cool...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15598496#post15598496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eddiesylas
There is a point were it is wasted money. Phil519, aren't you a banker???
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a point, but it comes down to a personal decision. One person's waste dollar is another's best spent.
 
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