Real world analysis of power consumption on 400 gallon system

[law086]

Hi folks - I recently invested in a Kill-A-Watt to measure my power consumption and since it's a question I see asked fairly often here, I figured I'd share.

My setup is a 180 gallon display, 150 gallon sump, 100 gallon refugium and 30 gallon frag tank. I keep mostly soft coral and LPS. I have around 10 fish.

The below chart is the equipment

Main lighting
Medal Halide - Three 175w lamps, two air circulation fans, magnetic ballast
Advertised watts / actual watts: 525/615
Cost per month: $18.52

Secondary lighting
VHO - Two 160w VHO lamps, magnetic ballast
Advertised watts / actual watts: 320/80
Cost per month: $3.07

Main display circulation
Tunze Stream 6000 on single controller
Advertised watts / actual watts: 15/13
Cost per month: $0.82

Main display circulation
MaxiJet 1200 on wave timer
Advertised watts / actual watts: 20/21
Cost per month: $0.69

Sump return pump / circulation
Gen-X PCX-55
Advertised watts / actual watts: 170/205
Cost per month: $13.47

Skimmer recirculation pump
Sedra 5000
Advertised watts / actual watts: 50/52
Cost per month: $3.42

Skimmer feed pump
MaxiJet 1200
Advertised watts / actual watts: 20/14
Cost per month: $0.92

Feed pump to refugium, grow out tank, media reactor, and UV
Mag 5
Advertised watts / actual watts: 45/22
Cost per month: $1.45

UV lamp
Gamma 40w T5 lamp
Advertised watts / actual watts: 40/35
Cost per month: $2.30

Refugium circulation
SEIO 1100
Advertised watts / actual watts: 21/21
Cost per month: $0.75

Refugium lighting
Normal output 60w florescent
Advertised watts / actual watts: 60/60
Cost per month: $1.97

Grow out tank lighting
Current 65w x 2 PC
Advertised watts / actual watts: 130/99
Cost per month: $3.52

Grow out circulation pump
MaxiJet 400
Advertised watts / actual watts: 5/5
Cost per month: $0.33

Calcium reactor circulation pump
Mag 2
Advertised watts / actual watts: 24/15
Cost per month: $0.99

Calcium reactor feed pump
MaxiJet 900
Advertised watts / actual watts: 8.5/7
Cost per month: $0.46

Heater
Hydor THEO
Advertised watts / actual watts: 300/250
Cost per month: $16.43

Heater
Ebo-Jajer
Advertised watts / actual watts: 250/217
Cost per month: $14.26

Heater
Ebo-Jajer
Advertised watts / actual watts: 250/223
Cost per month: $14.65

Heater
Ebo-Jajer
Advertised watts / actual watts: 250/220
Cost per month: $14.45

Total watts: 2174
Total monthly cost: $112.47

A few notes:

1. Electric costs in my area are on the low side, I pay around .09/kwh.

2. In the winter, since I'm in the northeast and run a basement sump (where most of my water is), I believe my four heaters run 24/7. As you can see, about 1/2 my electrical cost is heating my water. In the summer I believe my heaters only run a little bit at night.

3. I didn't include the cost of running a dehumidifier to keep up with humidity. I keep my basement below 50% humidity by running a 65ppd dehumidifier, which sucks up around 720 watts. I'm going to experiment with running it only at night soon. I wish I could some how harvest the heat the my dehumidifier puts out to help heat the tank.

Here's a few shots of my setup to get an idea on what I have:





Two questions I have come up with from this exercise:

1. Is there a more efficient way to heat water? In the winter, the ambient temperature in my basement is around 50 degrees. My 150 gallon sump is placed directly on my concrete floor.

2. Any ideas on what is up with my VHOs? What should be 320 watts (two 160 watt bulbs) is only pushing 80 watts.

Ron

[RichConley]

1. Drain the sump in the fall and get it off the concrete. Put a sheet of styro under it. That will save you a fortune.
2. Are you sure its a VHO ballast, and not a NO ballast?

[GMAX]

Your analysis of $112 per month on 2174 Kwh is only 5.1 cents per kwh. I am lucky if my electric charge is less than 10.5 cents and if you are on the standard electric provider and have not shopped, you will be at 14 or 15 cents here.

Thanks for the relative values. Its why I unplug my heaters in the spring and summer and why I set my chiller to come on at 80 degree instead of 78.

Heaters cost you more than your MHs!

[law086]

Rich - thanks for the suggestion. I thought about that, certainly worth a try! About the ballest, I'm running a Hamilton fixture and all my ballasts are in that big black case - so I can only assume it's a VHO ballast. I would be odd if it wasn't.

GMax - I think I see where we missed each other. I didn't include the number of hours I run each device. I think that why your math came out to only 5.1 cents per kwh.

Ron

[law086]

A few more notes:

Total wattage above is peek usage. Obviously some equipment turns off for several hours at night such as my lighting and a few pumps.

I also didn't include devices that use an incidental amount of power such as my salt mixing pump, RO booster pump, top off pump, kalk pump, monitors, controllers, etc.

Ron

[David Grigor]

Kill-a-watt meters are fun little toys. Really neat to see lights and pumps real world usage watts since they are rarely the stated watts on the devices.

[d-town tony]

When I took my 180gal down my electric bill went down a hundred bucks in the summer.

For heating your water here's a good link to a local guy here in Michigan. I'm thinking about trying the same thing this winter.

It's a page or two in.

http://michiganreefers.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=38729

tony

[db_triggerfish]

law086 thanks for posting it made me start checking,
When first read this thread i said boy what i am getting into. I hope to have a new 90g with 2x250w in a month. Your tank is very large one, so the average person should not think they will be paying around $ 100.00 a month because they won't. Also I will used an Eheim 1260 pump for my sump, a low watt power heads and will only run MH for 6 hours a day. PC 265w one hour before and 1 hour after MH photoperiod.

I used the calculator the RC has and Florida Power and Light website calculator and found out that my tank will cost me about 18.01 a month.

Item KWH/Month Cost/Month
Lighting - full spectrum 45.63 5.48
Lighting - actinic 16.12 1.93
Circulation pump 20.44 2.45
Skimmer pump 29.2 3.5
Powerheads - constant 17.52 2.1
Powerheads - intermittant 0 0
Heaters 0 0
Calcium reactor 0 0
Chiller 0 0
UV sterilizer 6.57 0.79
Ozonizer 0 0
Other 14.6 1.75
Total 150.08 18.01

I know it will be more higher because house central AC will work harder from the heat produced by lights and pumps , etc. and I don't want to run the tank in the dark while i am awake so more for the PC lights @ 265w. and i left out fans. i guest easy $30.00


ELECTRICAL CALCULATOR FROM REEF CENTRAL:

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php

Thanks again, i might just sell my MH lights an go with T5.

[justinzimm]

Ron,

That's crazy. Over 1000W of heating that is on almost all the time? I would look at covering and insulating you sump better. At work we use 1000W heaters on very large tanks and they will only run a few hours a day. If you put a simple foam cover over your sump you will reduce evaporative cooling and hold heat in your sump better.

[law086]

Justin - that is crazy... but when you think about it, I have a good 300 gallons of water in my basement and I'm raising the from 50ish to 77ish in the winter.

Any ideas on a good way to insulate or cover the sump? That's hard to do with all the equipment I have and an in-sump skimmer... ya know?

I also wonder if one or two large heaters would be better than four smaller heaters.

[justinzimm]

I've used stiff, closed cell foam to lay ontop of sumps that we are trying to keep cool. It sure made a difference. The foam was about three inches thick but we didn't have any skimmers or filtration to get into the way. At least make sure there is no drafts or air blowing across the surface of your tank/sumps. Heat loss due to evaporation adds up. I see a fan and some sort of vent in the celing. Make sure air isn't blwoing onto the sumps.

With the money you save you might want to buy one larger and thicker (fiberglass) sump that can be covered. Three small sumps have a greater surface area and loose heat faster. Of course, you'll have to partiction the sump into refugium and frag tank to get what you have now.

Justin

[CMcNeil]

Originally posted by law086
Justin - that is crazy... but when you think about it, I have a good 300 gallons of water in my basement and I'm raising the from 50ish to 77ish in the winter.

Any ideas on a good way to insulate or cover the sump? That's hard to do with all the equipment I have and an in-sump skimmer... ya know?

I also wonder if one or two large heaters would be better than four smaller heaters.

build a wood box 1 1/2" bigger in all directions than your sump.then place your sump into the box on top of spacer pieces of pvc pipe.then use 2 part expanding foam to fill the air space between the box and sump.this will give you an insulated sump that will hold temps way better than any normal sump could ever.you can make a cover for it as well out of wood and foam.or even better just buy some huge coolers and use them as your sumps.