What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Energy Consumption

theyellowdart

sea bear returns!
Does anyone know exactly how much the typical fluorescent 2 bulb fixtures that everyone uses add to the electric bill?

The one and only shelf I'm using on my grow rack is jam packed, and I would really like to put more lights on another shelf. The only problem is, my step dad is convinced that they add a substantial amount to the energy bill. I'd like to know how much more they are really adding.

Thanks for any help!

Matt
 
Well you'd have to figure out what you electric company or hydro company is measuring your energy in, and then by how much. Each light bulb has a reading, which you might have to convert to what ever unit of measurement they use to bill you. Here I believe I get charged in Kilowatt hours which is 3600000 joules per hour.

Personally, i don't think an extra light bulb or 2 would add a lot to the bill.
 
Thanks carn.

I've suggested that to my step dad, but our billing process is strange in that we pay in increments annually... So we barely ever see the total cost or increase in price.

I suppose I'll have to look up how much we get charged in watts/kilowatts if no one on here knows.
 
You won't notice a change in your electricity bill, i can guarantee it! Even better, if you convince him, try your best to consume less electricity, by turning off the lights behind you, heating just slightly less is a big diff (in the winter), wash with cold water instead of hot... but most important of all, REPLACE ALL INCANDESCENT BULBS WITH CFL'S!!!!! It may be a bit pricey to replace them all at once, but you will see a HUGE difference in the wallet. I pay close to nothing per month for electricity.

I only use CFL's for all my fixtures.

Oh, and i have 3 t5's at 39 watts each, and 4 CFL's for the other terra... they are on 16 hours per day.
 
Thanks bloke!

I'll show him your post.

I think I'm a very "efficient" person for the most part, lol. I always make sure lights are off when not being used, recycle, etc.
 
Electricity is fairly cheap here, but even with 8 T8s I only saw about a $10 difference.
 
You could say that two 40 watt tubes doesn't even match a regular 100W house bulb (in power consumption). I think it's psychological, people see big bulbs and think "how much does it cost to run that!?" I've got a dozen 40 watters running (6 twin tube striplights) and my bill barely hiccuped (it did go up but not an appreciable amount). Of course all my house bulbs are now 26W twistys so the plant lamps just soaked up the money I was spending to light the other rooms with incandescents I suppose.

Now, when I turn on the AC's, that's a whole different story. My bill goes from $60 a month to $120 for July & August. But I'd rather be comfortable and stave off a few trips to the bookshop than be miserable, I hate temps above 80*F! :D
 
moving my thermostat a couple degrees makes a bigger difference than what T8's i run.......i cant tell via my bill whether ive added more lights or notand right now ive got around 15 fixtures
 
Add the wattage of all of your bulbs. Divide by 1000 to get kilowatts. Multiply by number of hours per day you have them on. Then multiply by number of days per month. Next, look on your electricity bill for the KwH rate. Mine is .11 cents. Multiply by your KwH rate. There is your monthly bill!

Here is my 4 foot shop light:
(40W + 40W)/1000 = .08 Kw .... (.08Kw x 12hrs) x 30days = 28.8 KwH per month ..... 28.8 x .11 = $3.17
 
  • #10
Thanks a lot for everyone's help!

I agree that it is probably largely psychological. I've tried explaining multiple times how efficient these bulbs actually are compared to incandescents.
 
  • #11
To make it short and simple, an incandescent needs more power to heat the tiny wire inside (element). A CFL has a small balast, like you would see if you were to take apart a shop fluorescent fixture..but MUCH smaller(it consumes a LOT less power to make it work). A CFL can vary between as little as 5 watts to who knows....

But just for argument's sake, say we have a 26watt cfl vs. a 60 watt traditional incandescent bulb..

ok, so an incandescent bulb lasts 750-1000 hours, fluo 6000-15000!!!!

incandescent costs say, idk, a dollar, when cfl'S cost maybe 3$

just based on the two above mentioned lines, after 3000 hours, your cfl is now saving you money, cause you'd have already gone through 3 incandescents within that same amount of time. Now, the cfl still has 3000-12000 hours of use left, meaning MORE savings!!!

Here's a great link, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp ) it can explain in more detail what i have summed up, but i have to quote this:
''A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity.'' that's 130$-300$ per year!!! (that's a lot of plants!)

hope this helps convert anyone skeptical, btw, i'm an electrician :)
'
 
  • #12
for the record.....not all CFL's hit the 6000 hours.....infact i have had some i know that never hit 1000.....most of them last a real long time but about 10% of about any brand i decide to go with dies early....i prefer using the CFL's cause ive got two girls that love leaving lights on but they aint the end all best thing since sliced bread a few try to make them out to be......heck ive got a couple spots that eat CFL's like candy that i have to use incandescent on......CFL's dont seem to like 0* or lower :grin:
 
  • #13
Thank you everyone!
With your help I have successfully convinced my step dad. The new light is already up and running.
 
Back
Top