jaw dropping electric bill

[malkore]

8O

That's the face I made 10 mins ago when I opened my electric bill for the previous 32days of service.
Yes I live in an old house, and yes it's been in the 90's a lot in the past 4 weeks...
but I used 2,230 Kw!!! Last year I only used 1,533 Kw in the same time span.

The difference is that I've added my SW tank with 2x96watt lighting, a second 20g with 65watts, and setup the 29gal with 80watts.

I'm thinking I'm just going to have to take down a tank or two (like the 29 and one of the 20's), especially since the tanks upstairs are on pressurized CO2 which I keep running out of after a few months...too many tanks on 1 cylinder rapidly depletes it.

I may have a TON of java ferns and misc plants to get rid of if I tear down these tanks...so I may be posting in the classifieds section with some free plants, provided the buyer pays shipping.
Just wanted to give you plant people a heads up.

 

[mr86mister]

yeah, you know you have too many tanks when the electric bill kills :?

yeah definetly post them in the classifids....what do you think you will charge for shipping?

 

[m249saw]

That sucks.

Here in Florida is just as bad, Im cringing at the thought of my second tank running

 

[Jchillin]

Truly sad to hear that you are considering tearing down your tanks Malkore. I know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to utility bills. Our humidity has been high for the past three weeks, with no end in sight. As a result, the AC's are running almost 24/7. Now, we add the additional lights for the two tanks and the difference has been noticeable.

 

[malkore]

I ship USPS so it's $3.75 for the first pound, an like a $1 after that. so far I've been able to ship for $4.

The other issue is that those tanks upstairs are hittin 85+ degrees right now, and I know its not good for the fish.

 

[Zezmo]

Heh... Malkore I see you went Horde. You know the power company charges them more <eg>

I too have found a bit of a shocker in my power bill since I went High-Light/Planted. I tried to convince my GF that it wasn't my little energy efficient Fishies. She wasn't convinced, somthing about the sunglasses my fish wear when the lights are on. Oh well, best perhaps not to think about the cost so much, as think about how much you enjoy the tanks. Quality of life and all that

 

[Fluff]

I noticed a difference with the addition of MH lights and no longer run them but yeah, multiple tanks do take it's toll on your wallet. Sorry you have to make that choice Malkore.

 

[Toirtis]

Wow, that is a lot....I go through only about 950-1200 kwh/month at the very most...but then, I pay only about $0.05/kwh, too.

 

[Lepomis]

I understand your pain. For the last couple months mine has run higher than what I felt. My electric bill dropped by almost 100 bucks since the last month. My house wasn't cooling (to my preferred 68 to 72 degrees) so I went up into the attic and quickly found that the supply had fallen off the unit. My central air unit was sucking up toasty attic air and trying to cool it down. On top of that they return had pulled away slightly leaving about a two inch gap for the "cool" air to blow back into the attic. Since getting it fixed I am back down to living cool and will keep my eye on that bill to see if it continues to stay down.

 

[tetrin]

thats a real shame...
those were some lush ferns in the 20g...

 

[Toker95]

Just out of curiosity... what do you per kwh? I suspect Nebraska has a pretty low cost, especially compared to somewhere like the NE or California...

 

[greenmaji]

My guess by tanking the 2 tanks down you might bring the bill down by about $40.. (about .08 per KWH +taxes and fees and such)
Sorry to hear about your soon to be loss malkore..

 

[malkore]

I think it was .08 per kwh.

I was trying to calculate out all my tanks rough kw usage. Seems like most of the increase was from other sources, as the two tanks I added only increased about 100kw, and we used 500kw more than last year.

I think that's my wife cranking up the A/C. We had a little 'chat' about that today

for now, I'm only going to take down the 29gal, since all the fish there I can trade to my LFS. one less tank using CO2, and 80watts less. Plus, this is the tank that's creeping towards 90 degrees due to the heat.

 

[Zezmo]

lol..... I can see it now.

"Um no honey, the high power bill isn't because I have multiple High Light aquariums in every room in the house... It's because you have the AC on. No, I don't need to cut back on my tanks, but you need to cut back that AC."

hehe... I hope you have a cot in the Shed.

 

[greenmaji]

Investing in building a very nice doghouse comes in handy in times like these.. <---Joke..
Glad you only having to take down the tank that had heat problems anyway though!

 

[travis simonson]

Just curious, are you noticing anything bad going on with the plants in that high temp tank? My CF lighting in the heat wave we've been having here in Denver has been pushing my tank's temps up to 83-84 and so far no untoward effects on the plants. My Africans are bouncing off the walls though The warmer the water gets, the more active they get. And active is not always a good thing with Africans.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

Just be lucky you don't live in california. Electric rates out here are outrageous! On top of all the fees, its crazy. I want to get MH for my new salt, but I'm not too sure about how much that will jack up my pge bill.
Thats too bad though, sorry
I will be glad to take some java ferns off your hands though. The ones I bought from you previously were great.

 

[Andos99]

I feel the pinch this time of year too, but hey.....it's only a few more months and things start to cool down and the electric bill woes come down.

 

[i have crabs]

i have 4 tanks all with 96w bulbs didnt even notice any jump since i started but it is a new house mabey they screwed up (broken meter or somthing)

 

[greenmaji]

High pressure sodium and mercery vapor are suppose to be more energy efficient then MH.. just a thought..