electricity bills can be SHOCKING

guys i recently got my power bill,

which was redonkulous to say the least.
so without spending $119 on a wireless power monitor ($50 gov offer finished in april)
i used a current clamp meter from work to look at different appliances around my home to seee what when wrong and were i could save some coin.

so of course first on my list was the tank. i was so sure that this was not going to be a major item as the leds etc would be so much less than before when i was running T5's
the whole tank draws 7kw per day witout the chiller running at full noise
the chiller probly runs for about 2 hours per day total (could be less or more ill have to watch it etc)
so at 2 hours at 408W is 0.8 KW
so 7.8Kw per day on average.

billing period is 91 days
7.8 x 91 = 709.8 KW
709.8Kw x $0.2307
= $ 163.75 (thats $655 a year )

now of course im aware that the chiller wont be hooked up all year and @ $12.50 a week its not the end 0f the world.
but when you take into it the other maitainence costs like food, test kits, supplements and other bits and peices. its starts to add up fast.
personally i am taking a hard look at myself and contemplating selling the tank
but i thought id show you guys an itemized break down of all the gear running on my tank and how i worked this out

ok so to get watts you multiply the current draw by the voltage (240)
Gear that runs 24/7 :-
tunze circulation pump No.1 > 0.04Amps
No.2 > 0.02A (two different models)
extraction fan for cabinet > 0.03A
sumplight (desk lamp eco bulb)> 0.11A
Chiller on stby > 0.02A
Return pump 3200L/H > 0.60A
Skimmer air pump > 0.17A
skimmer water pump > 0.09A
total amps> = 1.08A x 240V
= 259.2Watts '/. by 1000
= 0.2592Kw x 24hours
= 6.22Kw per day

timed items:-
72 led lighting system
with fans and fan psu > 0.47A x 240V @ 8 hours a day = 0.9Kw
chiller > 1.70A x 240V @ 2 hours a day = 0.8Kw
total = 1.7KW per day
total Kw = 6.22Kw + 1.7Kw
= 7.9Kw per day
( i used 7.8 in my calculations at the top because sump lights and other stuff gets turned off intermittently)
guys i used maximum figures on this so i should be slightly less but this is worst case scenario
if you have any advice or questions feel free to go ahead oh and this figure is only 1/3 of my total power bill atm .

That’s one of the reasons I keep it simple and cheap and the tanks over all water volume small.
Plus I have done all the big stuff,these days the tiny stuff fascinates me more so.

yeh im going to keep the tank just going to have to make it so the rest of the house is more effecient.

Thats the way to go mate,the hobby comes first
Seriously though,the hobby and the energy needed to make a section of the ocean work at home is quite educational over all.

educational... mind if i use that line on my missus

yeh look at the end of the day. 20 dollars a week towards doing something that brings you and others happiness and joy. is a small price to pay. i use to pay $150 for billfish tournement registration 3 times a year so i think ill manage

No mate,tell the missus,then duck!!!!!

.

Don't know how I missed this mate...

Some great info and it can sure add up - the efficiency of pumps etc is how I qualify them when I buy them, the idea is to get the most efficient.

Out of curiosity what did the bill come in at - I just got the biggest electricity bill ever - $921.00 for a quarter - its never been over the normal $450 in 10 years - but all of a sudden it goes through the roof...and you cant prove or do a thing to argue it....carbon tax my arse......

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mate in total it came to $684.
it was a good lesson lol. amazing how much crap we leave on or turn on even tho we dont need it.
bianca was bathing indy 3 times a day
and in our bathroom we have these heater lamps that you can turn on in winter. i thought they were just extra lights so i was switching them on everytime i went into the bathroom.
plus we were just leaving lightsetc turned on.

the tank will cost me about $12 to $15 a week to run over summer. so i just have to accept that it is my chosen hobby and thats it.
i have the test rig i made up igno if your interested in how much ur tank is drawing in realtime. not just what each item says on the box.
im going to build myself a JARduino aquarium controller from arduino boards that way i can controller pretty much everything and create a "eco" mode etc

Mate based on the last bill I got I would love to check out the consumption.....

Will catch up soon ah ...

yeh no worries mate