Electrical Consumption

[psb]

I have been curious for the longest time what kind of electrical consumption. My various peices of the aquarium were using and so I bought a killawatt device and started measuring everything on an individual basis and global basis and i found i was using 545 watts in the daytime and 245 at night. Pumps that i thought were efficient werent. One pump i thought was 15 to 20 watts was using 90. I swapped it for one that used 13 and gave me 95 percent of the flow. That one change saved 67 dollars a year. So with all my changes that i made to my tank I will be saving over 200 per year in electrical consumption.

My question is how do you look at your electrical consumption and how have you adjusted it. My consumption now is 245 watts for daytime and 110 watts for night and I may cut the nighttime further. By making less turbulence at night. I am just starting this quest in the last week.

I started thinking that the greenhouse gases that are emitted in producing the electricty where applicable (not hydro or nuclear) are affecting the ocean i am watching in my tank.

So I started thinking that I am going to try and be conscientous about my electrical consumption.

 

[mcoomer]

How have I adjusted it? I put in two dedicated 20A lines, that's how. Seriously though, I gave up worrying about the cost of running my tank a long time ago. I figured it belonged in the category of "You Really Don't Want To Know".

Mike

 

[Krish]

Well I don't have a tank up and running now, but my electricity bill for last month was just under $800!!!!

 

[mfinn]

How have I adjusted it? I put in two dedicated 20A lines, that's how. Seriously though, I gave up worrying about the cost of running my tank a long time ago. I figured it belonged in the category of "You Really Don't Want To Know".

Mike

I'm sure my wife is very unhappy with me because I live in that camp also.

 

[TJL]

Wow great thread topic Paul, I to have started thinking more electricity conservative on my new system. 250 watts of LED's instead of 700+- of VHO/ halide and no need of a power hungry chiller, four 14watt Hydor powerheads instead of 1.2 amps for closed loop pump. I should have you over for a visit once its up and running to get actual system watts used.

Cheers, Todd

 

[user 2204]

I've looked at what my tanks cost to run electrically ever month and think why worry about that. My newest tank with ahlides and T5HOs along with the other 3 tanks I run cost me around $50 extra a month in electricity. Is it worth it, heck yes!

Oh and you should make a trip to the Grand Coulee Dam, see where Our electricity comes from and also a really cool weekend trip. Seattle's electricity is Hydro Power.

 

[psb]

Sounds good I would love to see you system again.

The reason I started the thread wasnt so much of saving money but saving what is involved in producing electricity. The thoughts started when i read an article on how much electricity is consumed even though the device is not "on". For example I found that I have a radio that I have had plugged in for 10 years and I will "listen to it maybe 5 hours a week. When it is running it uses 20 watts but when it is off it uses 13 watts. Which means just for the convenience of having it plugged in I paid about $100.00 dollars. I left my computer on 24/7 so i wouldnt have to boot up. That uses about 80 watts. etc, etc, I found i had pumps and lights that were drawing a lot of power for what they produced.

And I started thinking that if I can do a small part then i wont add to the pollution that is affecting the oceans. I want to see the great barrier reef before it is "gone" and started thinking i need to do my part. So I am not going to make my tank smaller or not use lights or pumps I am just going to try to see how efficient i can become. I found that I cut my useage by nearly 50 % and everything is nearly the same. Same corals same flow etc.

Also from all the aquariums and equiptment I have gotten over the years I have a box of the socket strips with switches so equiptment that uses electricty when not on i am have plugged them into the strips so I shut them off when not in use. Americans consume many times the amount of energy that people in other parts of the world consume and I am glad I can.

However, in the end a small fire has to burn to release the energy to make the electricity that I consume and if I can put my skimmer on a timer and use it less. Then perhaps a small fire maybe the size of a bic lighter somewhere doesnt have to burn.

Lest you think I have become a wild eyed tree hugger or I have an axe to grind I dont - just trying to learn how to not use resources for my aquarium that I dont need to and that my hurt the oceans that I enjoy.

 

[psb]

I know Seattles power is hydro power predominantly. However, for me, if i use less then Seattle can sell hydro electricity to "Detroit or Cleveland, etc" which is coal, oil, nuclear, etc. Also, having the Grand Coulee dam, which i have been to and is nice but changes the nature of the river. My point is that saving 30 watts that doesnt need to be consumed for me, shouldnt be. I cant change the world but I can do my part. If I take such great care of my aquarium in some form I want to have the same concern for the oceans.

 

[Peppie]

Good read, Anybody in this hobby should be aware of the energy we consume to keep our exotic pets happy.

 

[Paul B]

A few years ago I installed 22 solar panels on my roof that saves me $1,500.00 a year. This week I built a LED fixture to reduce my MH lighting by 200 watts.
I also invented a chiller that uses almost no electricity.
I am very energy concious.:high5:

 

[flatteringchild]

kudos to Paul B. Way to go!

 

[danno14]

I also invented a chiller that uses almost no electricity.

I didn't invent mine, but it only uses 28w for roughly 5hp of chilling
Kudos to Paul..... I wish I had the resources he has to emulate him.

 

[returnofsid]

psb, commendable! You're right on track, about things being plugged in and not in use. One that I recently read about, that really surprised me, is cell phone wall chargers. I'm sure almost all of us have 2 or 3 chargers, plugged into our walls, at all times. Surprisingly, these chargers use electricity, even when not plugged into a phone!

 

[NC2WA]

For a crude quick of calculating your electricity costs use the following calclulator:

Tank Electrical

 

[psb]

One thing I am considering making is solar panels hooked to batteries and led lights so that my lighting is sun mostly. O wait i live in seattle and i am looking out side and its cloudy. If only there was a practical way to convert ir to electricity. It will come soon enough.

 

[Paul B]

but it only uses 28w for roughly 5hp of chilling

That is fantastic. My chiller uses almost no power but it also does not cool down much. It will only lower my tank temp about 5 degrees.

O wait i live in seattle and i am looking out side and its cloudy. If only there was a practical way to convert ir to electricity. It will come soon enough.

Even on a dark rainy day my system generates over 400 watts.

 

[Skimmy]

low energy consumption was the whole idea behind my current nano...

3 panorama LED modules, 36 watts,
Tunze 6045 for flow 1200 gph @ 7 watts,
eheim 1250 return pump, 28 watts,
SWC 120 cone skimmer, 14 watts,
titanium heater, 50 watts,
bio pellet reactor powered by mj-1200, 20 watts,
= 157 watts total consumption