Spending a fortune on Electricity

Hi Guys

I got 3 heaters running in 3 different setups. 2 of my setups, which is a 4ft and plastic tank for fry are outside my belcony and a 2ft is inside the house. My concern is that I am paying alot for electricity as is, I am getting a 2m tank and that will properly require 2 heater in that tank. Any suggestions on energy saving heaters or how to save electricity overall. Without the tanks I used to pay 300 pm now i am paying 1600 pm.

The tank lights are always off as there is alot of sunlight and only switch them on from 7pm to 10pm daily. Heaters are obviously running 24/7. Any advise on the above?

 

Heater only turn on when the temp is below what you set it ..

What temp are you running your tanks at ?

Later Ferdie

 

The quickest fix would be to ensure your heaters aren't working as hard.

Insulate your tanks during cooler periods. You can do with with polystyrene, for example, but some people use towels or foam. This will reduce the rate of heat loss from the tank(s), thereby reducing the need for the heater to turn on so frequently.

Covering your tank (with a lid, or glass/plastic sliders) will prevent the loss of heat by evaporation. Remember that water vapour that escapes takes the heat with it.

Also make sure you have the right heating capacity for your tank. Too small a heater will be on 24/7 to try keep up, but a larger heater can keep things in check quite reliably.

 

Electrical heating is quite expensive. Can do two things to lower costs:
(1) Set the temp lower (like down from 25° to 23°) but this depends on the type of fish you keep. Most fish have a range in which they are comfortable so you can keep them at the lower part of the range.
(2) Insulate your tanks (like people mention above).

Another option, if you have lots of tanks in a room, is to heat the room with a heat pump (like an aircon unit working in reverse). Heat pump heating is about 3-4 times more efficient than electrical heating. But this would only work if you have all your tanks in a single room that can be closed off and is fairly well insulated. Maybe works better for people in overseas houses with fish rooms.

 

For this exact reason I have chosen fish species that prefer a cooler temp. 8 months of the year the heaters are off, in winter I run my tanks at 18 degrees without any issues.