how to cut down electricity bill???

[r2d2]

Hi all, I know you are going to tell me reefing is an expensice hobby but I really need to cut down a little my electricity bill.
My equipment list is at my signature...

First plan is to with my retirn pump to a HYperflow 12 that is supposed to consume 50W instead of 90W of Mag9.5.

Maybe to shoten a little my light schedule to just abou 10 to 8 hours daily.

I had even thought of eliminate my sump to get rid of that return pump and extra water volume to heat and cool.

Any suggestion? Or ultra efficient technology missing?

Greetings

 

[Eric]

I'm not sure there is an easy answer or a cheap way to cut down on the electric bill. I say cut other expenses to balance it out such as cable, internet, cell phone, fast food lol there are so many things I/we waste money on that I don't spare when it comes to powering the tank

I am curious to see what others come up with.

 

[OHreefer]

I totally agree, lol. Be glad you're not using metal halide lights. You can't really cut back much in your system...you could cut the lighting period slightly, but is it worth the few dollars you save? I agree with Eric and I'd suggest cutting back elsewhere in your life

 

[MrPex]

A couple of thoughts right off on top of cutting back light hours-

Run your protein skimmer on a timer. I do and have noticed little difference in water quality by running it only 12 hours a day. But I have a very light bioload. Experiment a bit with that and see if your bioload will tolerate it.

I don't know what the economics of power are in Mexico, but I imagine they are somewhat similar to the U.S. Here in the U.S., power is typically most expensive, in some cases 30 percent more expensive, between the hours of 6 PM and 9 PM, when most people come home from work and put peak load on the grid and generators by cooking dinner, turning on the air conditioner or heater, etc, all at the same time. Try to find out peak energy price times in your country and try to cut your equipment use during these times.

Those are two tips that don't cost anything. Hope that helps!

 

[seahorsedreams]

Use fans to cool your tank to reduce the amount of time your chiller has to be on.

Do regular maintenance on your equipment, it increases their efficiency.

 

[Eric]

Running a skimmer on a timer is not a good idea IMHO your skimmer needs to run 24/7 to skim to it's potential cutting the time would not allow it to do it's job properly.

 

[Clownfish518]

I would like to point out that a tank has a daily rhythm, and that the evening is when the DOCs are at there highest concentration in the tank. So when the electricity costs are the highest is coincidently when the skimmer is most needed.

Unless you need to pull the temperature down more than a few degrees fans will do the trick in most cases

 

[WayneT]

You could quit taking showers but I wouldn't advise it.:laughroll One way you can cut on your electric bill is don't leave your computer on all day like many of us do, me included. Full sized computers use a lot of electricity.

Another way is; if you are using an electric water heater, put it on a timer to only heat when you are using hot water, in the early morning for showers and in the evening for washing. Keep it off the rest of the day and most of the evening.

Another possibility are solar panals. Costly up front but in the long run can save you quite a bit of money.

 

[Woodstock]

• Reduce your lighting period (if possible).
• Every few days leave the lights off or only run 1/2 for that day (there are cloudy days in nature).
• Replace the mag 9.5 with a smaller more energy efficient pump (less watts). The skimmer will still work very well. The Mag 9.5 is heating your water also which is making your chiller run more often!
• Replace your return pump with a smaller more energy efficient pump.
• Increase the water temp (if possible) so the chiller runs less.
• Turn off chiller and use fans instead (be prepared to top off often).

Keep in mind that the equipment that runs 24/7 uses the most energy; so the chiller and pump's cost can add up quick!

 

[michael_cb_125]

Get rid of the Mag pump. These are very expensive pumps to run, and the add a lot of heat to the water (I use them to mix saltwater, and they heat the new water up enough in 4 hours that I do not need a heater). Unless your house is very warm I see no need for the chiller. You are running one of the coolest types of lighting (T5), and unless catilina is different than other brands, it should run relatively cool.

Just getting rid of the chiller and mag will make a substantial difference in the amount of energy you are using.

~Michael

 

[r2d2]

Thanks for all your input.

Im going to change mag for that Hyperflow, it has a lot of head preassure and flow rate. Mag will stay for mixing new SW.

Fortunately my chiller does not run all year, just about 5 or 6 months during summer, very hot in here. I upgrade my lighting fixture last october, before that I ran a PC fixture, way too hotter that T5. So Im expecting a little less heat this summer.

About electricity rates here in Mexico. For residential users we dont have a peak during day. We have a flat rate during day but with two rate steps in KWh of consumption.

Since a year Im running my reef I notice a huge increase in electricity bill, about 40% more. And my concern is that Im almost close to become a "large demanding account" which will place me in a very different rate per KWh.

Im also planning to change my AC for high efficiency ones, about 16SEER. That have to help a lot.

Im also starting to switch off all standby equippments, TV, Home theater, PC, Wifi, etc, etc....

Any way... I'll have to experiment a little with light schedules and temperatures.

Next electricity bill!!!!!

Greetings

 

[BigAl07]

In your part of the county Solar (Photovoltaic systems) are highly utilized and something that should be consider. I don't know how available or affordable they are but you get such a large amount of direct sunlight that they are MUCH more efficient than say where I live (trees, mountains etc cut down efficiency).