Tanks to blame for high energy cost?

[JDogg]

well the last few months our electricity bill (wich also includes natural gas for heat and hot water) has gone up signficantly. i know it was just winter, so i expect it to be more in winter. but it is ridiculously high IMO. called power company and they swear the bill is right :?

long story short my wife is blaming it on the fish tanks

i am currently running 2 ten gallons w/ ~2.5 wpg of T8 or pc lighting, and appropriate sized heater.

1 26 gallon, with 15 watt T8 bulb and appropriate sized heater

1 75 gallon with one 32 watt T8 bulb and appropriated heater

all these tanks have HOB filters that are appropriate for there size.

and 1 75 gallon with 4* 32 watt T8, appropriate sized heater, Eheim 2215 filter and 2 powerheads.

is this enough to make make a significant dent in my power bill?

 

[David14259]

Electric rates went up significantly at the start of the year for most areas of the country. Compare on your bills how much you're paying per kWh, and how many kWh's you're using, compared to November or December.

 

[roka64]

Try running your lights on all your tanks 1 hour less and see what the difference is...

 

[JDogg]

ok last summer bill was ~$30

current bill ~$300

we just bought the house last summer so my frame of reference for power bills is limited but that seams extreme :?

 

[squawkbert]

While electric rates may have gone up, I think the cost of natural gas is probably more to blame.

 

[tecwzrd]

As David mentioned without comparing the kilowatt rates and the hour usage knowing the actual amount is useless (especially comparing summer to winter totals). Compare hours from last month to this month for a more accurate comparison since you don't have last years bill to compare hour usage.

If your kilowatt hours are the same but the rate jumped .10 then it could easy explain the increase if same hours were used month to month.

I saw a $50 jump from last month but kilowatt hours were within 5% as last month and it was attributed to the increase in kilowatt hours.

You listed 231W of lighting alone not counting all the heaters/pumps so IMO your wife is right

Also most power companies don't actually read the meter for months and use estimates to bill you between the actual reads. It could be they actually came out to read it this time and the usage was greater than they estimated which could also be the reason for the increase.

 

[kennef]

i agree wth dave, the only way to eliminate electrical usage as the issue is to compare kilowatt hours from month to month, and also the price they charge per kilowatt hour. once you have that info, then you look at natural gas usage and the price differance month to month.

look at that neilan... i agreed with dave!! imagine that!

 

[BrianNY]

It's the lighting more than anything else. I added 330W to my 125g and the electric bill went out of sight.

 

[JDogg]

It's the lighting more than anything else. I added 330W to my 125g and the electric bill went out of sight.

well i will compare a summer bill with current bill when i get home tonight to see how much of it is gas.

i might have to sell off some tanks though

 

[crazyred]

Check your breakers before selling the tanks. I saw a HUGE spike last year on my bill in March which made NO sense whatsoever, and it turned out that my water heater was constantly running and heating water causing a huge drain. Seems the thermostat on it might have gone haywire. Anyway, I just turn the breaker off to it when I don't need hot water and that solved it.

When I discussed this problem with the electric company, the guys that came out to test my meter told me that fish tanks don't really use that much electricity. It's mostly the large things like central heat/air units, washer/dryer, water heater, stove/oven, that cause problems.

Go out and notice how fast the disc is turning on your meter and flip breakers until it slows dow or stops....then start turning on breakers on by one, you might can isolate which it is and go from there. For me, it was the water heater.

 

[Argblarg]

There is a product called 'Kill-a-watt' you can get at NewEgg.com and a few other places for about $20, you plug whatever you want into it and it tells you how many watts total it used over the past day or week.

You could plug each fish tank into this for a day and see how much power it actually uses. I found it quite useful and hey it's only $20, I saved more than that by figuring out how much some appliances use.

 

[hc8719]

one of the aquarium magazines offered an online thing where you could plug in your accessories and watts, and it would tell you the engery being used. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Jchillin]

I agree with doing the cost comparisons and ensuring that the current bill is an actual or estimated bill.

I do not agree that the lighting is solely responsible. The Eheim filter and PH's are worth looking at.

Lastly, let your wife know that it will be more expensive to take down the tanks than to keep them.

 

[JDogg]

well looked at the bill, they have been estimating, and then one week the actually checked the meter.

basically we have to be home for them to check the meter as it is inside the garage.

according to the bill next check is 4-3, i will be home as it is spring break for my school next week, we will see the next bill looks like :?

 

[Toirtis]

well looked at the bill, they have been estimating, and then one week the actually checked the meter.

basically we have to be home for them to check the meter as it is inside the garage.

according to the bill next check is 4-3, i will be home as it is spring break for my school next week, we will see the next bill looks like :?

There you go...they have likely been estimating low for 3-4 months, and are now adjusting. I would be surprised if your tanks used a total of $45/month in juice, even at $0.07-$0.09/KWH.

 

[malloc]

No way those tanks could increase your bill by $270. I also know someone who's water heater was running-- basically heating water & then pouring it down the drain, and they saw a similar spike in the bill, ~$40 up to ~$250. It's definitely more likely that one of your appliances is having problems.

My energy bill doubles during winter months. If you're in an old building heating could contribute a lot.

 

[squawkbert]

Don't sell off tanks - grow & sell off CRS, Toninas, Reickii, Glosso, HC... is a longer term solution.

 

[malkore]

Its not the tanks. I once managed to calculate my annual cost for 10 hours a day, 220 watts (converted to kilowatt hours, multiply by x....etc)

and it turns out that 220watts for 10 hours a day, in my area, is like $5 a month.

its more than likely your price per kilowatt hour and therm (for the natural gas) is what's skyrocketed.

I can't tell you how much i pay per kilowatt right now cuz I am at work. What I can tell you is that 220watts, plus another 130watts upstairs (plus heaters, filters & pumps for CO2), that all run 12 hours a day, 7 days aweek, plus 3 computers that run 24/7...each with a 300watt or larger power supply...plus 'normal' electricity use...I only pay $80 a month.

and the only thing in the house that's gas is the furnace.