Tank Electricity Cost
- Thread starter SkyDiv3r17
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My wife and I had a 1 BR apartment and the kicker to utility bill is if heat is gas or electric and if we have another winter like last winter. Our water heater was in an outside closet on the patio and wasn't sealed in so it ran all the time last winter so our average utility bill for 815 sq ft was $175 including a 90g tank with 2x 250w mh and 2x 96w PC bulbs. We also kept the heat at 74 degrees all winter and the AC at 68 all summer so that could be part of it.
For just the tank? Or for your whole electricity bill? When I lived in a 2 bedroom apartment the electric was never less than 30 bucks a month. That was 7 years ago with no tank. As an educated guess, your electric bill will probably be like $50 in winter/summer and like $40 in fall/spring including the tank (since that is only 11 bucks a month)
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My electricity is pretty low mainly because my water heater, stove and furnace on gas. from spring to fall my electric plus gas is less then 150 a month, even with running ac all the time, but in winter it jumps to 200 or so. I also have implemented just about every energy saver thing we can, like new insulation, windows, doors, low energy lights ect...
Tank Electricity Cost
I think whether or not you have AC (and if so how much you run it) will make a bigger difference than the tank will on your energy bill.
My 82 year old 2200 sq ft house does not have AC. Summer gas and electric bill is about $75 (heating is gas). That can almost double in the winter.
Hopefully you won't need a chiller on the tank as they can be energy hogs.
Edit: I have a Nuvo 38 with equipment similar to what you listed.
I think whether or not you have AC (and if so how much you run it) will make a bigger difference than the tank will on your energy bill.
My 82 year old 2200 sq ft house does not have AC. Summer gas and electric bill is about $75 (heating is gas). That can almost double in the winter.
Hopefully you won't need a chiller on the tank as they can be energy hogs.
Edit: I have a Nuvo 38 with equipment similar to what you listed.
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When I took my 180 down my electric bill was almost cut in half, went from $300 a month to $150 after a couple of months I set up a 40 gallon with the same specs as the op listed and never noticed an increase
On a side note I had a huge water bill when my rodi auto shut valve malfunctioned and ran for 45 straight days dumping water thru the waste line, of course it had to be in the summer when the utilities were on tiered water cost, my water bill alone was $500+
On a side note I had a huge water bill when my rodi auto shut valve malfunctioned and ran for 45 straight days dumping water thru the waste line, of course it had to be in the summer when the utilities were on tiered water cost, my water bill alone was $500+
My total bill last month was $80. We have a 1950 square foot house plus a basement. 2 kids, ac, and a 175 gallon tank with 2 250 watt halides and 4 54 watt t5's and a 150 gallon sump in the basement. We switched to solar this year.... Last year the bill was $170 the same month. This summer has been cooler though. I think the tank runs about 30 a month in the summer and more in the winter due to the basement sump. My heaters run when it's 90 deg outside! (I need to get a lid on my sump and throw some rigid foam insulation around the sides)
You could also turn the thermostat in your house up a degree or two and that will keep the heaters from running as much. Temperature outside makes no difference in tank temp. Its the temperature of the tank room that makes a difference. Plus that will save you a little on your AC bill and ifs its only a degree or two, your wife and kids wont even notice (unless you tell them you did it).
I know the outside temp has nothing to do with the tank temp. However, I was using the outside temp to illustrate a point! That the heaters draw more electricity than most other parts of the system. The original poster is concerned with what his electric bill may be. It is a fact that my inside temperature does directly reflect the outside temperature. This is going to cause anyone's bill to fluctuate which is to the point of the question.
My house is much cooler in the winter than the summer, as with most people. Your insinuation that I don't understand that the ambient room temperature is what is causing the tank heater, and not the outside temp, to come on is frustrating and frankly insulting. It's also off topic. But whatever.
Back to the topic and sorry for the rant.
Aquariums are expensive and pretty stupid if you ask me. Why do we have them? They are also awesome to watch. Challenging to be successful at. Rewarding on the good days and depressing on the bad ones. They are a break from the day to day hassles of life and at the end of the day a bad day with an aquarium reminds us that life is short and we need to enjoy it! It's worth it and it's not going to break the bank as long as you plan ahead.
If you are worried about the cost of electricity get a smaller tank. Upgrade your pumps to more efficient ones, especially the return as it runs 24/7. Place the aquarium away from the window or the door. Use lighting to heat the tank in the winter. Run the lights for a bit less in the summer to deal,with heat issues or get a fan.
My house is much cooler in the winter than the summer, as with most people. Your insinuation that I don't understand that the ambient room temperature is what is causing the tank heater, and not the outside temp, to come on is frustrating and frankly insulting. It's also off topic. But whatever.
Back to the topic and sorry for the rant.
Aquariums are expensive and pretty stupid if you ask me. Why do we have them? They are also awesome to watch. Challenging to be successful at. Rewarding on the good days and depressing on the bad ones. They are a break from the day to day hassles of life and at the end of the day a bad day with an aquarium reminds us that life is short and we need to enjoy it! It's worth it and it's not going to break the bank as long as you plan ahead.
If you are worried about the cost of electricity get a smaller tank. Upgrade your pumps to more efficient ones, especially the return as it runs 24/7. Place the aquarium away from the window or the door. Use lighting to heat the tank in the winter. Run the lights for a bit less in the summer to deal,with heat issues or get a fan.
Didn't mean to offend. Sorry if I misinterpreted your metaphor. Either way turning up your thermostat up to a point where your heaters will only cycle a a small portion of the day and its still a comfortable room temp is a great way to make your electricity bill cheaper both from an AC standpoint and a tank cost standpoint. I personally keep my house at 75 degrees all summer for this very reason.
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