cutting back on E bill

[jhale]

Rich, your skimmer costs 444.57 a year to run.

no wait I think my math is wrong, how do you figure out the cost again?
I'm getting a number that is too high.

no, it's right.

to calculate the average operating cost for any electrical appliance you can use the following formula:

watts/1000 = kW x hours of operation = kWh x kWh rate = cost

Watts can usually be found on the appliance nameplate. If the nameplate lists amps:

volts x amps = watts

Example: How much does it cost to operate Rich's 290 watt pump 24/7 365.
con Ed charges $.175

290 watts/1000 = .29 kW x 24 hours of operation = 6.96 kWh x $.175 = $1.218 / day x 365 days = $444.57 yearly cost.

 

[jhale]

blueline 40x vs. red dragon 6.5 used as return pumps.

blueline=140 watts
RD 6.5= 65 watts

blueline 140/1000 = .14 x 24 = 3.36 x .175 = $.588 x 365 = $214.62/year

RD 6.5 68/1000 = .068 x 24 = 1.632 x .175 = $.2856 x 365 = $104.24/year

blueline cost = $165.00

RD 6.5 cost = $624.00

cost difference = $459.00
energy difference = $110.38

so, in four years the RD will cover the cost difference, after that your saving $112 a year off the con ed bill.

 

[jackson6745]

MH for only 3 hours? when did this happen? reason? explaination?

only 3 hrs because this is how I get my colors to look good. In my system, with my current nutrient level, with my current water quality, 3 hrs of halide lighting is all that is needed to keep my SPS colorful and growing. When I
extend the photoperiod the corals colors lighten up.

Think of it like this......A high nutrient tank will have brown corals and will need really bright MH lighting, at a longer photoperiod to get some color to it.

The corals in a low nutrient tank will bleach easily with too much lighting. With new powerful skimmers available today it is easy to keep a low nutrient reef. This is why you see guys with colorful SPS in T5 lit tanks, and quite a few guys with very short photoperiods.

I don't have a scientific explination, this is my observation. I still don't know if the nutrient level or water clarity plays more of a role......or even a combination of both???

 

[jackson6745]

no, it's right.

to calculate the average operating cost for any electrical appliance you can use the following formula:

watts/1000 = kW x hours of operation = kWh x kWh rate = cost

Watts can usually be found on the appliance nameplate. If the nameplate lists amps:

volts x amps = watts

Example: How much does it cost to operate Rich's 290 watt pump 24/7 365.
con Ed charges $.175

290 watts/1000 = .29 kW x 24 hours of operation = 6.96 kWh x $.175 = $1.218 / day x 365 days = $444.57 yearly cost.

I can see how my skimmer is a pig and it's worth going with a low wattage skimmer. I am a fan of beckett skimmers and there performance, if tweaked right, does surpass many of the low wattage skimmer I have seen. Plus, My whole tank is plumbed around my skimmer and i'm too lazy to redo everything

As for the return pump i don't think it's worth it. To wait 3 years before it covers its cost doesn't seem like a good bet to me. What if a part of the RD pump breaks? How much will that cost to fix? Also is a RD pump pressure rated? If not I will have like 100GPH after the water pushes through all the pipes

 

[ctxmonitor]

How long was the testing as when you increase the lighting it turn lighter in color for your sps? Did it start lighting up within a week or its just a gradual change from 8-7-5..3hrs and the color slowing getting deeper and deeper?

How is the growth, though? My main concern is the growth when you have such low mh photoperiod? Was it better before the low mh photoperiod?

How long do you keep your actinic VHO on for?

only 3 hrs because this is how I get my colors to look good. In my system, with my current nutrient level, with my current water quality, 3 hrs of halide lighting is all that is needed to keep my SPS colorful and growing. When I
extend the photoperiod the corals colors lighten up.

Think of it like this......A high nutrient tank will have brown corals and will need really bright MH lighting, at a longer photoperiod to get some color to it.

The corals in a low nutrient tank will bleach easily with too much lighting. With new powerful skimmers available today it is easy to keep a low nutrient reef. This is why you see guys with colorful SPS in T5 lit tanks, and quite a few guys with very short photoperiods.

I don't have a scientific explination, this is my observation. I still don't know if the nutrient level or water quality plays more of a role......or even a combination of both???

 

[jackson6745]

How long was the testing as when you increase the lighting it turn lighter in color for your sps? Did it start lighting up within a week or its just a gradual change from 8-7-5..3hrs and the color slowing getting deeper and deeper?

How is the growth, though? My main concern is the growth when you have such low mh photoperiod? Was it better before the low mh photoperiod?

How long do you keep your actinic VHO on for?

Tom I have a short photoperiod for almost 2 years. I slowly decreased it from 8 hrs, over a few months time, and noticed gradual changes in color. I guess my growth is average, nothing spectacular, but definitely not slow. My actinics are on for 8 hrs per day.

 

[inkblue]

...i cuT back by tuRning off my home liGhtS. the aquariUm lights are briTe enuF to light my living area :flirt: Not muCh buT every liTTLe thiNG heLpS :usa1:

 

[alrha]

blueline 40x vs. red dragon 6.5 used as return pumps.
blueline=140 watts
RD 6.5= 65 watts
blueline 140/1000 = .14 x 24 = 3.36 x .175 = $.588 x 365 = $214.62/year
RD 6.5 68/1000 = .068 x 24 = 1.632 x .175 = $.2856 x 365 = $104.24/year
blueline cost = $165.00
RD 6.5 cost = $624.00
cost difference = $459.00
energy difference = $110.38
so, in four years the RD will cover the cost difference, after that your saving $112 a year off the con ed bill.

I have the BlueLine70 (290W), I would get the RD4.5 (48W) - i calculated it as such:

48 watts instead of 290.

BL70 electric costs $450/yr
RD4.5 electric costs $75/yr

that would save me $375/yr. The RD4.5 costs about $600.

seems like in my case it will pay for itself in a year and a half.

Not to mention it is supposedly a better and quieter pump. Just being quieter makes it all worth it as it is in my living room.

 

[jhale]

Albert the RD 4.5 might not have enough pressure to act as your return pump.

That's why I used the 6.5 in the example, though Rich thinks that might not even be powerful enough.

If I can get the flow to all tunze and switch my lights to two 250's and four 48" T-5's that's going to make a big difference in watts used right there.

The return pump can wait, but that is the next thing on the list, next to the chiller it's the only other thing that can be changed to save energy.

 

[ctxmonitor]

i think the RD would work fine. Since before I had the quietone 4000 (Not HH) and it was still able to push water into my tank with probably 5' of head. I would assume since the RD has more head than the quietone, it should do fine...

 

[jhale]

i think the RD would work fine. Since before I had the quietone 4000 (Not HH) and it was still able to push water into my tank with probably 5' of head. I would assume since the RD has more head than the quietone, it should do fine...

I would like to hear from a Red Dragon expert before making that call. It's a lot of money to spend on a pump. It better work the way you want it to.

 

[jhale]

T-5 vs. MH & T-5's

lighting breakdown

my present system:

110 white vho
110 white vho ice cap 430 = 220 watts 4 hours = .88kwh

175mh 10k 250mh 10k 175mh 10k = 600 watts 4 hours = 2.4 kwh

140 blue vho
140 blue vho ice cap 430 = 280 watts 12 hours = 3.36 kwh

electrical cost:
6.64kwh / day $1.16 = $424.13 year

--------------------------
1st possible upgrade:

58 white t-5
58 blue t-5 ice cap 430 = 116 watts 10 hours =1.6kwh

250mh 10k w/ luminarc 250mh 10k w/luminarc = 500 watts 4 hours = 2 kwh

58 white t-5
58 blue t-5 ice cap 430 = 116 watts 6 hours = .696kwh

2x lumninarcs $220.00
1x 250 mh evc $160.00
4xt-5?s bulbs, reflectors, end caps $260.00
total purchase cost: $640.00

electrical cost:
4.296kwh / day .75 = $274.41 year (savings from present system $149.72)

--------------------------------
2nd possible upgrade:

58 t-5
58 t-5 ice cap 430 = 116 watts 10 hours = 1.6 kwh

80 t-5
80 t-5
80 t-5
80 t-5 ice cap 660 = 320 watts 4 hours = 1.28kwh

58 t-5
58 t-5 ice cap 430 = 116 watts 8 hours = .928 kwh

total purchase cost 8 t-5 bulbs, reflectors, end caps, icecap 660 = $680

electrical usage:
3.808kwh / day .67 = $243.24 year (savings from present system $180.89)


when i have the chance I'll post the par values, t-5's are the highest.