Can a Metal Halide Double The Electric Bill?

Reef Wall

Reef Wall

Member
:banghead:

I switched from standard 24" 2-bulb T-8 lighting to a 175 w Metal Halide. My wife is about to part out the aquarium because our electric bill this month is double from what it was last year. Went from $110 to $220. I am trying my darnedest to try and come up with another reason for the electric spike and can't think of anything else that has changed. Is it possible for one light to cost this much to run? This would mean that this light is using up 1000 kwh per month on its own. There is no way this is possible, right? Does anyone know how much electricity it takes to run a 175w MH 12 hours a day for a month?
 
tnwillia

tnwillia

Well-Known Member
On mine it depends on the time of the year. Mine has never doubled it but this time of year with the AC running a lot I'm up an extra 100.00 I'd tie to my lights/tank. IMHO you shouldn't be running the MH 12 hours a day but I'm guessing you have a split MH/T5 hood. I run my T5s 9 hours and my MH 6 hours over 24 hours. Good luck!
 
Reef Wall

Reef Wall

Member
I've actually been running a straight 175W 14000k MH for 12 hours a day. I don't use any other lighting. I cut it down to 10 today. I can pay for an LED fixture in three months with what I will save on electricity.
 
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BLAKEJOHN

Active Member
175w bulb at 12hrs per day for one month. 175 x 12 = 2100 whrs per day x30 = 63000 watt hrs / 1000 = 63kwhrs per month. I pay .11 per kwhr at that rate the 175w bulb running for 12hrs per day would cost me $6.93
 
tnwillia

tnwillia

Well-Known Member
I'm running a dual 150 14K and 4 T5s. I can't see it doubleing your bill. No other changes in the house, added Big screen Plasma/LCD stuff like that, my plasma is a electric hog. How old is your tank? was it there at last year's bill. Good luck figuring it out!
 
nos2074

nos2074

Member
my house is just under 2000 square feet. Running all the normal stuff includeing AC my bill is $129 this month. I'm running 3 250w 14k bulbs and 2 80w t5's along with the rest of the stuff for the tank. I do have electronic ballast tho
 
Reef Wall

Reef Wall

Member
Thanks for the math BLAKEJOHN. So I am using 63 kWh per month on the light. There is a big difference between 63 and 1000 kWh per month. I will keep searching for the culprit. Thanks everyone.
 
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BLAKEJOHN

Active Member
you would be looking for large appliances such as a refrigerator running more than usual, window a/c units, well pumps running too often and things like that. You can get a Kill-a-watt meter and measure different appliances. Maybe you recently install a jaccuzzi or whilpool tub.
 
Reef Wall

Reef Wall

Member
nos2074 said:
my house is just under 2000 square feet. Running all the normal stuff includeing AC my bill is $129 this month. I'm running 3 250w 14k bulbs and 2 80w t5's along with the rest of the stuff for the tank. I do have electronic ballast tho
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It looks like you also live in Chicago. I'm in Texas, and it is 98 degrees here right now. My home is only 1500 Sq Ft. and my electric bill in the summer gets up to 300+. This is one of the reasons I am so worried about this one bill being twice as much as usual. When I get to the "Hot" months It could get up to $400.
 
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BLAKEJOHN

Active Member
As far as my house I have a three bedroom two story under insulated drafty house. I have two window units that run 24/7 My 110gl reef, 55gl fresh, a turtle tank (55gl), three kids and a wife that leaves all lights on 24/7, a well pump that runs nearly all day, two tvs that run 24/7 and you normal appliances. My bill is usually just under $200.


I would say that the wife running the tub more often is more likley to be a big part of the higher bill. But as you said she is pregnant with twin, so dont tell her you findings so far..:scram:
 
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imsobored152

Member
if you have a chiller on your tank, it may be running more often now your on MH
Thankfully my Electric bill is only like ~$65-80 a month. 3bdrm (25yr old)townhouse. AC is set at 72 all day and night. I run LEDs though. and no chiller.
 
deehz

deehz

Member
Ok, here may be your culprit. Do you have a/c? Is it central/forced air a/c w/a thermostat? What temp do you keep your thermostat on?

All of these are factors due to the fact that right now during the summer months, EVERYONE wants to keep cool. And usually at this time of year, your electric bill will double because of the a/c.

If you keep your thermostat set at or below 75 degrees, your central a/c (if you do have central a/c) is constantly running--turning off and on. This could easily double your electric bill.

If I keep my t-stat at or below 75 degrees, I know that the a/c will keep on turning on and off constantly to keep up w/the hellish hot days here in the SW. I have mine set at 78 and runs only a few times a day versus many.
Believe me, just turning up your t-stat a couple of degrees makes a HUGE difference.

It was also mentioned along w/your a/c, your appliances may play a factor as well depending on how old they are. I have to agree, purchasing a kw meter to plug into your appliances will give you an estimate on your electric usage and bill. I don't know if your kw rates change much during this time of the year in the upper midwest. But here in the SW, the electric co's usually will double the rates at this time of the year. You may want to look into this and maybe surprised by what you find out.
 
Reef Wall

Reef Wall

Member
deehz said:
Ok, here may be your culprit. Do you have a/c? Is it central/forced air a/c w/a thermostat? What temp do you keep your thermostat on?

All of these are factors due to the fact that right now during the summer months, EVERYONE wants to keep cool. And usually at this time of year, your electric bill will double because of the a/c.
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I do keep my a/c at 72. I have just set it to go up to 80 when we are not home. My bill does always get high this time of year, but the bill has double from this time last year though, not just from last month. Maybe I should check the weather almanac and see if it is warmer this year from last year. Damn this global warming:tumble:
 
jcgardner

jcgardner

Member
Check your electric rates as well. We just go a notice from our electric companing that our rates are going up. I, like others, doubt that your bill would go up that much just because of the lights. There has to be something else, bump your a/c up 2 degrees to 74 this month and see if it helps. I know it changes our bill a lot with just a two degree difference in the a/c setting.
 
Val

Val

Member
If you are having a heat wave like we are in OK it's understandable that your elec jumped like it did. Mine was more than double last month's bill and I keep my a/c set on 75.
 
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BobBursek

Active Member
Reef Wall,
are you on a budget plan, if so they make a correction once or twice a year and either you pay more if you owe, or it is less if they owe you. Also most utilities do not read a meter ever month so the non read month is an estimate. Your best bet is to call your electric supplier and discuss it with them and you can get an accurate answer instead of getting all of the guess work here other then the person that fiqueredout your watt hour usage for your new MH, I run mine 7 1/2 with the actinics on 1 hour before and after.
 
deehz

deehz

Member
Reef Wall said:
I do keep my a/c at 72. I have just set it to go up to 80 when we are not home. My bill does always get high this time of year, but the bill has double from this time last year though, not just from last month. Maybe I should check the weather almanac and see if it is warmer this year from last year. Damn this global warming:tumble:
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I don't recommend to do this. Keep your a/c at a constant temp. The issue is that when you get home to a warm home, 80 degrees, the a/c has to work triple time to get down to 72 or what ever temp you want to keep it at during the evening and night. This could cause your freon line/s to freeze, blow out your compressor or damage the very expensive relay switches and mother boards in your air handler/condenser unit.

I know this sounds weird but how often do you change your air filters? Many people don't understand and neglect that this simple inexpensive product can cause major problems to your a/c. I change mine during this time of the year religiously every month. Also check your doors, window, electrical outlets/switches, etc for drafts. Hope this helps and good luck!
 
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BobBursek

Active Member
I agree and disagree with Deehz,
If you like 72* when you are home, and gone at work for 8 hrs or more 80* is too high to keep the AC at, all of the house and furniture heats up and then needs to be cooled down to 72* not just the air you feel. I would set it at about 77 when not at home, close all window blinds especially south and west ones, east will help to in the morning, at this time of year.
 
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