Average electric bill for120 gallon Tank California

[clownsntriggers]

My electric bill has jumped up by alot. I am running a Blue Line pump 40, one Seio 820, Asm skimmer, Power Compacts 250 watts, 300 watt heater, 8watt u.v and a maxi jet 1200.

Ok, My bill has increased by $200 dollars. Is this normal?

Also does this have anything to do with running my pump with no ball on the output of the pump?

What are you guys paying on a monthly basis?

[techigirl78]

You can use this calculator: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php

My bill for my entire house is around $200.

[papagimp]

I only have a 55g but i really havn't noticed a large jump in my electric bill at all. fwiw, I hear that larger tanks can be very pricey to maintain in California, electircally speaking.

[tkeracer619]

my whole house costs about 200 as well. I have 750w of metal halide and 320w of VHO. My tank costs ~125 per month.

That calculator helps.

[corals b 4 bills]

My total electric bill is 186.00, my tank is about 80 to 90 dollars of that. (san francisco bay area).

[tkeracer619]

Sounds like something is eating current more than its supposed to.

[tanker]

I have 4 tanks and my PG&E bill is about $350.00 per month.

[natron]

My bill( whole house) w/ 2 small tanks(20l w/ 130 watt pcs and 37 custom w/ 175 watt halide) is around 100 bucks a month(but im in N.M.).

[Shagsbeard]

I have my bill autopaid... I don't even pay attention to it anymore.

[Swanwillow]

how many watts do maxijets use (600 and 1200)

[natron]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8660388#post8660388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Swanwillow
how many watts do maxijets use (600 and 1200)

1200s = 20w

[Brewen]

Mine around 220 total home bill I'm guessing around 160 for the tank. Now it is December and all the Christmas lights I will be putting up this weekend I do not want to see Jan elc bill.

[Swanwillow]

ok, then my bill is about $20. my total bills have always been under 60

[scuba14]

MOVE lol. cali is always expensive 300 gal w/4-250W. hqi and 4 other tanks total elec bill around 150.00 a month live in michigan

[clownsntriggers]

I forgot to mention I also was running a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon too. (LOl).

I would estimate the 20 gallon at around $12 bucks a month
and
the 55 gallon was around $45-50 bucks.
but, still too much money for fish!
I took stripped it today (55 gallon) and now it only has a heater and a rio 2300 pump. I might use it as a QT tank though.

I hope next month it's less.

This was my highest electric bill ever
:smokin:

[2swift]

Just out of curiosity what is your light schedule and are your heaters fighting you ac? Like Is you house ac set at 72 and your tank heaters set at 77-78?

[boxfishpooalot]

wow my tank would only cost 34$ a month in canada. :lol: 2x 400watt, 3 pumps.

Wow US is exspensive for electricity. I guess all our "great lakes" pay off! Hydro electric.

If i was paying that i would buy a wind turbine electric generator for a boat. Hook up to the house save 1000 watts for 1k to buy.

[biggerpapa]

I live in SoCal and just completed a lot of calcs regarding the electric utilization of my tanks and my friends' tanks. There seems to be a lot of variation. However a general rule seems to work out to - 1$ per gallon per month. This works for my small 60 gal tank as well as my friends 300 gal with a lot of MH lighting. I was originally planning to upgrade my tank to 300 gal but may only go to 120 or a 150 gal tank.
I have learned that the start up cost of a reef tank pails in comparison to the ongoing and recurring costs.
Thanks,
Mike

[reefnetworth]

i moved recently, my first month was $78.84. the next month it was $186.52, third month $230.71. i called Nashvile Elec. Service and asked if they were reading the correct meter. or if it was an incorrect reading? because it was such an increase and still rising. WELL! the apts. i live in are four units attached in a square. seems my neighbor was an electrician who cut a hole in his bedroom closet ceiling, and hooked directly to my line. thanx NES service dept. for finding it. but since it was still on my meter i had to pay the bill. my neighbor was arrested and evicted. i dont know the legal outcome, but his parents moved his stuff out, that speaks for itself. HA! LOL!

John, :smokin: :D

[Galloyien]

1636 square foot house in Kentucky with 90g RR averaging 450 watts an hour 13 hours a day on the tank. $53 a month for everything. Kentucky must have dirt cheap electricity, because nothing else is cheap here.

[Putawaywet]

Do you mean price jump as in the past 3 or 4 months?

Southern California has seen several rate "adjustments" in the last 6 mo's. Where you are getting hosed is SoCal Edison uses a tiered pricing system. Your baseline allottment is set by location, not by the size of your house, number of occupants, etc. So, I am allotted the same baseline for my 1800sqft house (family of 5) as that nice little old lady living alone in a 900sqft apartment down the street.

When you excede your baseline you are bumped to the next pricing bracket (which appears to apply to nearly everyone with a family) your kw/hr. rate takes a nice jump. Then, when you break out of that bracket your pricing goes up yet again. And so on, and so on, until you find yourself in the 200% over baseline bracket like I did. That bracket is priced at something like @ .39 kw/hr.

My pre rate hike, pre summer bill ran in the neighborhood of $180 - $250/month depending on time of year. However, with the unusually lengthy and hot summer, (like 8 straight weeks of 85+ degree weather) coupled with the new rate increases my July bill jumped to $575/month because I was burning juice at .39 kw/hr

With the cooler weather, cutting back on my tank lighting, installing timers on bathroom fans, swapping out light bulbs for lower wattage ones... etc, I have gotten it down to $289 for October.

Luckily, in Feb we qualify for price averaging. We'll pay less in the summer and more in the winter

[clownsntriggers]

Yes, My bill increased slowly in the last 3 months. I also looked at the baseline and everytime you exceed the limit it will cost more. I'm at the 3rd level right now.

I'm thinking of wiring my house with LED lighting in the most used rooms.

[PatMayo]

We have had several gas and electrical rate hikes in the last 6 months. Yikes. I am in a 2200 sq ft house with a 450 gallon hot tub and my 90 aga with 150 watt mh lights.

I am on the easy monthly payment plan, you know where they average your monthly bills each month to take out the large swings in dollars. Summer AC months and winter heating months.

3 years ago when I bought this house my bills were 139.00 per month every month of the year. They square up and recalculate twice per year. I just got the latest re-adjustment the other day and my new rate is 193.00 each and every month. But that is also with central AC, gas heat, gas dryer, gas hot water, 90 gallon aga and a 450 gallon hot tub, plus lights etc etc etc. Computer that runs 24/7 and a wife that likes a lot of lights on in the dark northwest winters.

I just pay it and complain. The complaining makes me feel better but of course it won't change anything.

I can't tell you how much my tank adds to my bill but it has to be a decent amount. But with all the price hikes and the hot tub I haven't bothered to figure it out.

Regards,

Pat

[nashorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8671942#post8671942 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Putawaywet
Do you mean price jump as in the past 3 or 4 months?

Southern California has seen several rate "adjustments" in the last 6 mo's. Where you are getting hosed is SoCal Edison uses a tiered pricing system. Your baseline allottment is set by location, not by the size of your house, number of occupants, etc. So, I am allotted the same baseline for my 1800sqft house (family of 5) as that nice little old lady living alone in a 900sqft apartment down the street.

When you excede your baseline you are bumped to the next pricing bracket (which appears to apply to nearly everyone with a family) your kw/hr. rate takes a nice jump. Then, when you break out of that bracket your pricing goes up yet again. And so on, and so on, until you find yourself in the 200% over baseline bracket like I did. That bracket is priced at something like @ .39 kw/hr.

My pre rate hike, pre summer bill ran in the neighborhood of $180 - $250/month depending on time of year. However, with the unusually lengthy and hot summer, (like 8 straight weeks of 85+ degree weather) coupled with the new rate increases my July bill jumped to $575/month because I was burning juice at .39 kw/hr

With the cooler weather, cutting back on my tank lighting, installing timers on bathroom fans, swapping out light bulbs for lower wattage ones... etc, I have gotten it down to $289 for October.

Luckily, in Feb we qualify for price averaging. We'll pay less in the summer and more in the winter
I'm in the same boat @ the 300% over baseline. Spoke with PGE and no way of increasing baseline unless someone in you house has a medical condition.You may look at a time of uses plan which is less @ non peak hrs and more @ peaks. Also I hear of something call a green plug which should lower watts used with motors.