What does your Electric Bill Look like?

fcatch76

Member
or...if you are using 500 watt lights that equals .5 kwh (kilowatt hours). Look at your bill and figure out what you are paying per kw. So, a 500 watt lighting system run for 10 hrs. a day. 31 days a month and 12 months a year will cost you:
$18.60 per month or $223 for the year. This is based on the national kw average of $0.12.
 

deejeff442

Active Member
i was wondering the same i just built a 225 dt and 120 sump and ordered a unit with 3 250watt mh and 4 96 watt compact cant wait for the first bill.
luckily my electric is only 9 cents a gigawatt.
 

posiden

Active Member
Originally Posted by fcatch76
http:///forum/post/2986042
or...if you are using 500 watt lights that equals .5 kwh (kilowatt hours). Look at your bill and figure out what you are paying per kw. So, a 500 watt lighting system run for 10 hrs. a day. 31 days a month and 12 months a year will cost you:
$18.60 per month or $223 for the year. This is based on the national kw average of $0.12.
Can you break down the equation on that for me? What I am interested in is the watts to Kilowatt hours.
 

jchmiel

Member
watts/1000 gets kwh.
kwh * 24 = kwh/perday * kwh charge = cost per day
cost per day * days this month = cost per month
cost per day * 365 = cost per year
the kwh charge is how much your electric company charges per kwh, im at about 11 cents. so my 2x250 Watt MH would run me...
500 / 1000 = 0.5 kwh
0.5 * 24 = 12 * $0.11 = $1.32 per day
$1.32 * 31 days = $40.92 per month
$1.32 * 365 days a year = $481.8 per year
dont multiply the monthley amount by 12 cause the days a month vary.
Lastley dont forget to add up all the pumps and heaters, extra lights and chillers for your sump(refuge). If you dont know that wattage of something look on the label and take: amps * volts = watts.
I have 500Watts of lights about 50Watts for pumps 350Watts in heaters (which do not run all the time of course) and an extra 60Watts (CFL) for the Refuge.
Best thing to do is buy a Kill-A-Watt (or two) and run that on your power strips for a good average.
 

jchmiel

Member
oops I forgot I dont run my D*mn lights 24 hours a day. heehhehe change the 24 hours to how long you run your lights a day. Ohhh man that was dumb.
 

dragonboy

Active Member
It can get expensive thats one of the reason I quit the coral thing and went to fish only but also because I got bored of corals after awhile.
 
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