Noob.. Lighting monthly cost

[Bloomk]

Have a cheesy home depot light fixture and bulbs right now with a fowlr setup. I want corals but I do NOT want to pay $100 per month for power. I would like some advice. I have a 90 gallon tank with 20 gallon sump and honestly would rather pay a bit more upfront and pay less per month in case I loose a job or something. I would rather keep the monthly cost of this tank to a minimum if it is worth it. But I don't know what lights to choose. Or even if I want to do reef if the costs are too much monthly.. Any suggestions?

 

[carey]

I think a 6 bulb T5 fixture would suit your needs just fine. they also won't be as much as led's which would cost almost nothing to run. I have t5's on 4 tanks, one is a 12 bulb fixture and I havent noticed any marked rise in my electric bill.

 

[Bloomk]

I think a 6 bulb T5 fixture would suit your needs just fine. they also won't be as much as led's which would cost almost nothing to run. I have t5's on 4 tanks, one is a 12 bulb fixture and I havent noticed any marked rise in my electric bill.

Others say LEDs are like 60% cheaper.. I have heard some t5 setups costing as much as $100/month to run 12 hours a day. So at $100 per month vs $40 per month, LEDs don't seem so expensive..

 

[carey]

I run my lights 12 hours a day on with the 12 bulb fixture. I can guarantee you that the lights arent going to run $100. My whole electric bill was only $130 last month and thats with air conditioning included.

Led's are a better option as far as energy consumption hands down, but finding the right ones and spending an obscene amount of money upfront just doesn't seem practical to me.

 

[Bloomk]

I run my lights 12 hours a day on with the 12 bulb fixture. I can guarantee you that the lights arent going to run $100. My whole electric bill was only $130 last month and thats with air conditioning included.

Led's are a better option as far as energy consumption hands down, but finding the right ones and spending an obscene amount of money upfront just doesn't seem practical to me.

How much does your power company charge you per kwh? THAT is the telling part.. Can you find that out? Cause every location is different.

 

[Gboy66]

I think a 6 bulb T5 fixture would suit your needs just fine. they also won't be as much as led's which would cost almost nothing to run. I have t5's on 4 tanks, one is a 12 bulb fixture and I havent noticed any marked rise in my electric bill.

Quick question, sorry..
How often do you have to change the bulbs on those fixtures? Each year?

 

[carey]

I'm paying .038 for the first 1000 kwh and then .048 for the amount over. I used 1171 kwh this month. I just happened to get the electric bill today so its right here.

The non fuel amount is <1000 .049140 cents greater than 1000kwh .059140 cents. Came to a total of 111.37 for the elctirci part of the bill. The rest is taxes and surcharges. lol

 

[carey]

Oh, and yep, its adviseable to change every year. alot depends on the bulbs quality and the time used.

 

[Gboy66]

Oh, and yep, its adviseable to change every year. alot depends on the bulbs quality and the time used.

Thank you!

Sorry for interrupting Bloomk! :'(

 

[Bloomk]

Here's another question.. How do you convert watts in the fixture to monthly kwh's? I think if we can figure out the calculation equation then we can accurately compare costs per month. The we can actually make a calculator where you enter watts and time on and price per kwh to come up with accurate cost per month... I'd even be willing to create a web page that will do the math for us.. I just need the equation.

 

[Bloomk]

I just found this...

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

 

[Bloomk]

I'm paying .038 for the first 1000 kwh and then .048 for the amount over. I used 1171 kwh this month. I just happened to get the electric bill today so its right here.

The non fuel amount is <1000 .049140 cents greater than 1000kwh .059140 cents. Came to a total of 111.37 for the elctirci part of the bill. The rest is taxes and surcharges. lol

I pay about 10.4 cents per kwh.. You are paying 4 cents per kwh? Am I reading that right?

 

[carey]

It looks like .48 plus the .049140 so I guess we are close after all is said and done.

I also have a 55g with a quad t4, a 24" quad t5, 2-36" 2 bulb t5s and they all run about 12 hours a day. I also have a biocube with it's cf lighting. PLUS i have all the gizmo's running, skimmers, filters, powerheads etc.

I still think the t5's are the way to go unless you have maybe $800 or so for a led setup.

 

[adeebm]

Here's another question.. How do you convert watts in the fixture to monthly kwh's? I think if we can figure out the calculation equation then we can accurately compare costs per month. The we can actually make a calculator where you enter watts and time on and price per kwh to come up with accurate cost per month... I'd even be willing to create a web page that will do the math for us.. I just need the equation.

It's simple enough. Say you have an 80W fixture. If you run it for one hour, that's 80Wh. So to find your cost for a month, it's wattage x hours per day x days on the month / 1000 will give you kWh for that month. Then multiply by your price per kWh for the cost.

--Adeeb

 

[Strawman]

Wattage is the key. Look for low wattage and skimp by when. U can. Ie I am using a ten Watt bulb on my sump but when it comes to corals wattage doesn't matter as much as par and Kelvin temp.

Edit: you still need a certain wattage per gallon though. But don't take me at my word. Do your own research. I am by no means and expert this only is my synthesis of info

 

[mfdrookie516]

I dont know how to do the math... but I have 5 tanks running at the moment. 4x39w and 12x24w T5HO as well as all the filters and heaters. My electric bill wasn't even $100 last month, and that was for the whole house (2400sq ft). MH will cost you, but T5HO or LED won't raise your electric bill much at all IME.

 

[Rhino]

I dont know how to do the math... but I have 5 tanks running at the moment. 4x39w and 12x24w T5HO as well as all the filters and heaters. My electric bill wasn't even $100 last month, and that was for the whole house (2400sq ft). MH will cost you, but T5HO or LED won't raise your electric bill much at all IME.

I feel the same way. No real noticeable difference.

 

[TRDfan]

I just found this...

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

thats a VERY nice find you have there!!!!

 

[rafatoy]

Hello, got a question since we are talking about lights, I have 60 gal octagon tank, with metal halide 100/150watts 10k bulb, of course this is what the person who gave me the tank told me. ( he cant remember and he did have a reef tank,) I want to get a better lighting system, as such my power consumption will be low, ( I hate that ballast in the back ground) pounder on this though, it's 30" in height and an oddball hood which is of course an octagon. Want LED's but will they reach to the bottom, (SOL Illumination), I am stuck, any suggestion ??

 

[rafatoy]

sorry meant to say hexagon in shape.