[Vinss]

I live with my wife and two roommates in a large 8 ½ plus a huge basement, I have two aquariums with lights and filters plus eight vivariums that all have either UVB bulbs/neon, heat lamps or heat pads/wires or a combination of the above. When I moved in, the roommate of mine that already lived there didn’t impose me the price of electricity in my rent and he’s been taking responsibility for it himself. Recently, with the increase of reptiles in the house, the electric bill has shot up terribly; we’re talking of a good $50.00 extra per month and my roommate doesn’t mind paying that, although he says he’ll have to have me pay extra this winter, knowing the electric bill will be very high.

Are there any tricks you have to reduce the energy consumption of your reptiles’ setups? Any tips or tricks are appreciated. I’ve started to buy heat wires to heat at night, once that’s done for all my vivariums, I’m guessing the cost should go down quite a bit, but still, I’d like to save as much as possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[jools]

Insulation?

 

[janeann10uk]

reptiles = need for heat +light = big electric bills !! Part of the deal !!!!

 

[Vinss]

reptiles = need for heat +light = big electric bills !! Part of the deal !!!!

People = Need for heat, food, electronics = big electric bill, doesn't mean there aren't any trick to reduce our consumption, that's what I'm looking to gather here.

 

[Meko]

plenty of things you can do.. Insulate the vivs to hold the heat better.
If you have daytime reps, like beardies etc; you can stagger their lighting. Low energy bulb to come on first to give light, then the heat light shortly after and the UVB shortly after that. Then do the same in reverse at night. Nowhere in the world does the sun suddenly appear from nowhere like viv lights do.
If you stagger them it's giving a more natural sequence and you'll also be using less electricity.

 

[Meko]

reptiles = need for heat +light = big electric bills !! Part of the deal !!!!

no it isn't. That's like saying that because we need to eat we have to eat out every night.

 

[CollaredLizardGal]

You can try reducing the energy in the rest of your home... only boil the kettle for the water you need, take showers not baths, change all your bulbs to energy saving... try to turn of all electric equipment that is not required. Only have your aquarium light on for 6 hours. Do washing at night. Dont leave sockets on when not needed, little things but it all helps. In the uk we can get free energy meters from our service providers that will tell you what is being used where, see if there is anything similar over your side of the pond!

 

[jonodrama]

You can try reducing the energy in the rest of your home... only boil the kettle for the water you need, take showers not baths, change all your bulbs to energy saving... try to turn of all electric equipment that is not required. Only have your aquarium light on for 6 hours. Do washing at night. Dont leave sockets on when not needed, little things but it all helps. In the uk we can get free energy meters from our service providers that will tell you what is being used where, see if there is anything similar over your side of the pond!

^^^This^^^

my step daughter consumes more electricity (and everything else) than any amount of reptiles, so i'm for ever switching off the DVD player/lights.

 

[Twiglet]

plenty of things you can do.. Insulate the vivs to hold the heat better.
If you have daytime reps, like beardies etc; you can stagger their lighting. Low energy bulb to come on first to give light, then the heat light shortly after and the UVB shortly after that. Then do the same in reverse at night. Nowhere in the world does the sun suddenly appear from nowhere like viv lights do.
If you stagger them it's giving a more natural sequence and you'll also be using less electricity.

As above but insulating vivs will only work to lower your bill if the heat sources are all on thermostats.
Our electricity bill is more than £70 a month. If we didn't have stuff stat'ed I bet we could almost double that.
The household energy saving thing is good too although I'll add that it depends on what he keeps in his tank if he can cut the lighting back to six hours a day. If its a reef tank then that would spell disaster for example.

 

[CollaredLizardGal]

Actually, our marine reef tank with loads of corals including acans, acros, sps and lps thrives with the halides only being on for 6 hours, we don't have to fight with algae and cyano and all of the corals are growing HUGE!
Some acros require a little more light than others but we turn on the lights at 4.30pm and off at 10.30pm (this meant a. we were able to enjoy the tank when in from work b. everything has the appropriate growing time and c. we save lots of wasted electric by not having them on all day. This also meant thast during the summer months we dont spend half our time fighting with the temperatures.
Fish do not need light only corals do, we have it set with a blue led (on all the time next to no usage) then actinics at 4 pm halides at 4.30, halides off at 10pm and actinics off at 10.30 - works like a charm!!
:lol2:

 

[Vinss]

Thanks alot, those are the kind of tricks I'm looking for.

One thing I was wondering: most of my reptiles are in one smaller room in the basement, the room is lit with one neon (and the reptiles' lights of course), do you guys think, if I replace the neon lighting the room with a UV neon that's strong enough, that the amount of radiated UVB could actually replace the UVB I have in place in each vivarium, meaning that I could remove all the excess balasts and have only one UVB source for the whole room? This may be farfetch'ed (how is that spelled?), but I'm just wondering.

 

[Twiglet]

Actually, our marine reef tank with loads of corals including acans, acros, sps and lps thrives with the halides only being on for 6 hours, we don't have to fight with algae and cyano and all of the corals are growing HUGE!
Some acros require a little more light than others but we turn on the lights at 4.30pm and off at 10.30pm (this meant a. we were able to enjoy the tank when in from work b. everything has the appropriate growing time and c. we save lots of wasted electric by not having them on all day. This also meant thast during the summer months we dont spend half our time fighting with the temperatures.
Fish do not need light only corals do, we have it set with a blue led (on all the time next to no usage) then actinics at 4 pm halides at 4.30, halides off at 10pm and actinics off at 10.30 - works like a charm!!
:lol2:

Thats really interesting... I was always taught more light = better coral growth.
Frankly if your keeping acros alright under 6 hours of light you can't be going far wrong!

I will remember that.

 

[Caramelsnake]

Thanks alot, those are the kind of tricks I'm looking for.

One thing I was wondering: most of my reptiles are in one smaller room in the basement, the room is lit with one neon (and the reptiles' lights of course), do you guys think, if I replace the neon lighting the room with a UV neon that's strong enough, that the amount of radiated UVB could actually replace the UVB I have in place in each vivarium, meaning that I could remove all the excess balasts and have only one UVB source for the whole room? This may be farfetch'ed (how is that spelled?), but I'm just wondering.

As far as I'm aware that wouldn't work. UVB has to be a certain distance from the reps or they won't receive the full benefits, plus I think it gets blocked by glass, so the light source needs to be inside, rather than outside the vivs.

Better double check that but I think that's right.