Outrageous electricity bills - Calgary
 

What's the best way to minimize the Enmax bill? Do they offer any better rates?
Utilities this month were $400.

Running:
3x250W MH
Ice Cap 660 T5
Reeflo Barracuda Pump
Magnum 8 powerhead
Octo Skimmer
2 500W heaters

Mine was over $400 I posted about it down the line a ways... pretty awful isn't it.

Ahh, I found your thread, sorry to start a new one...I was just a bit shocked and my first instinct was to create a new thread.

how big are your houses?

Is that inclusive of water/sewage and garbage?

I don't understand the need for 2 500W heaters... my large system is at a steady 80 degrees with 4 pumps (2 return and 2 for the octo skimmer) and 4 powerheads in the water. Doesn't really fluctuate with lights on or off either. Maybe consider taking them out and see if it makes a difference in temp and cost.

Just so we can compare, my bill was $369 with Enmax:
2 250W MH
6x39W T5
OceanRunner 6500
QuietOne 6000
LifeTech 5500 x2
3 Koralia 4
1 Vortech MP40W

The electricity portion of the bill is only $175/month, so it sounds like I'm not doing too bad. I'm only running the MH lights from 2pm - 7pm, when I should be running a 10hr cycle for max coral growth.

I'll turn off a heater, but my system is made to run in the summer without a chiller. I've got a fan-driven open hood design that doesn't hold any heat from the lights, plus the overflows drop the water to the sumps in the garage, which is quite cool.

The return pump pushes the water back up 15ft, drawing lots of power. I'm going to buy a Kill A Watt, anyone seen them in stores? I'll buy it online if not.

I am going to get one of these ones tonight so i can do some checking on my stuff. Also Enmax has a program called easymax that lets you lock in your rate a 8 cents per killowatt for 5 years if i had done this before Jan i would have saved almost 100.00 on my Jan bill.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...08474396672790

My house is over 3000sf. I have a well/septic tank so my bill is strictly for power alone. There are two of us and we do not use the entire house and have lights on all the time. I do have to turn stuff off after hubby all the time though.

I have the following

3x 250 halides
6x 65w compact florescent
2 700 Korilla power heads
1 Korilla 500 power head
Aqua medic skimmer t5000
A really crappy Blue line 100 pump 250w(month old and shot)replacing with better since its consumption is 390w don't buy on they suck

500w heater (hardly runs only at night when halides are off)
250w heater (water storage only runs to keep water at temperature)
36" Tek lights (over fuge)
36w turbo twist UV
Deltech phosban reactor

Okay I'm really just whining...upon closer examination, my household used 1400kWh at 8 cents for a total of $113. The Reef Central calculator told me I'm using $70 worth of electricity for the reef. I can live with that.

The criminal part of the bill is the Easymax fees:
$8 Administration charge
$19 distribution charge
$19 Trans access Defer Acct Rider ??????
$22 Local access fees

plus 3 other small fees