Who’s Using Solar Power To Run Their Aquariums? Paying $.30/kWh in lower NY.

[PeterC99]

15 cents a kilowatt here in Vegas but going up steadily.. right now is the best time in Vegas to bank credits as the panels are the most efficient around 75° and produce the most.. once the summer comes it kills all my credits and I still get a $500 power bill but for now I pay $13 a month. What sucks is I didn’t get the batteries so my surplus of power I’m building right now is bought back from my electric company for 75 cents on the dollar Of course sold back to me at full price.. ugh… my tank costs about $70 a month in electricity to run according to my apex. My tank is over 300gallons wet. I have 28 panels and a 12.5kw system.

Lots of questions but first how did you figure out your monthly electric consumption on your Apex?

 

[Troylee]

Lots of questions but first how did you figure out your annual electric consumption on your Apex?

Look at your power bill and kw pricing and hit the little gear icon next to your eb832 and it will pull up a template where you put your kw per hour info in and the apex does the rest it’s self.

 

[PeterC99]

Look at your power bill and kw pricing and hit the little gear icon next to your eb832 and it will pull up a template where you put your kw per hour info in and the apex does the rest it’s self.

Wow - was that simple! But now realize how expensive NY power really is! I’m only running a 90 gallon aquarium with sump and it’s costing my approximately $90 a month!

 

[Troylee]

Wow - was that simple! But now realize how expensive NY power really is! I’m only running a 90 gallon aquarium with sump and it’s costing my approximately $90 a month!

Yeah it’s crazy! I run three 250w metal halides on my tank or it would be much cheaper… my power might seem cheap but in 2 months I have 2 ac units that run 18-20 hours a day and kills me! Vegas gets so hot you get a $900 power bill come June,July, August and then backs down around $500 for a couple months then it’s freezing lol.. we only have summer and winter out here with like 2 weeks of nice weather.

 

[Reefing102]

Wow I’d hate to live in some of these places. I pay .0469/kwh (not including flat rate residential service charges). Even if I’m averaging those charges into KWH, it makes it .1553/kwh. According to apex, my 65 costs me $24.04 (using .1553) per month. Even in summer my bill maxes out around $300/month (though I’m on their monthly average plan so I don’t get charged that but yea)

 

[PeterC99]

Wow I’d hate to live in some of these places. I pay .0469/kwh (not including flat rate residential service charges). Even if I’m averaging those charges into KWH, it makes it .1553/kwh. According to apex, my 65 costs me $24.04 (using .1553) per month. Even in summer my bill maxes out around $300/month (though I’m on their monthly average plan so I don’t get charged that but yea)

Now you see why I’m thinking about getting solar panels!

 

[Timfish]

Since lighting is the biggest electrical load by far I designed and built LED fixtures that connect directly to solar panels off grid. (Build plans are linked to in my signature.) I've been and have run them for 4 years now. The significant problem is there can be times with weeks of overcast so while it was nice haveing a more natural sunrise and sunset most corals I've tried can't adapt to the range of lighting conditions and had to resort to running half on a power supply and a timer. I'm in the process of setting up a system to run completly off grid with batteries. Basicly what it looks like I'll need is about 2-3 KW array with 10kw of batteries to last several days of no power and overcast weather. I'll need enough to run roughly a third of the lights tied directly to the panels and then batteries to run the rest of the lights +/- 8 hours and the pumps continously for a couple days. I can see a system easily needing to be larger depending on the equipment being used.

I would suggest looking on youtube for reviews. While there's certainly questionable ones there's are good videos looking at intiall cost and how long the payoff time is. (Here in central Texas with .11 KW it's pretty long.) There's also tools for determining how big a system you may need. One interesting option pointed out, in areas where the price of electricity varies by demand, instead of installing solar panels using a portable power station to charge up at night when electricity is cheaper and using it to run stuff during the day when electricity is more expensive. Even if you install an off grid or grid tied system a portable power station is an immediate solution to reduce monthly bills and a backup option in the future.

As pointed out by others, you do need to do a lot of research. Not only are there lots of variables for solar systems there are also local and federal regulations tha come into play. You also need to look carefully at how a system is financed. Unfortunatley there are companies out there that make their profit by financing systems and using any tax credits for themselves and you will find stories of people ending up paying more for electricity after finance costs are factored in.

 

[Battlecorals]

When I built a new shop back in 2016 I really want to incorporate some sort of solar energy into this project.

I extensively researched solar panels and even went as far as to consider using these industrial strength soon tubes for lighting, ( they magnify sunlight) and none of it really panned out. The sona tubes may have worked in Florida, but in Wisconsin we just don't get that kind of consistent sunlight to really generate that kind of light. I need to go Sps using the sun oddly enough.


the ends didn't really justify the means, the costs weren't canceling. Of course my electrical demands are pretty high and it was asking a lot, but even with as many panels as I could fit on my roof and in the yard, I would still only be able to produce less than half of the electricity that I needed and I just couldn't justify the initial cost.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

In socal, summer on peak is $0.75 per kWh. Plus projected 7% rate increase in each of the next 3 years. Yeah...LOL.

Who is supplying for you? That's INSANE. You have to be on TOU pricing?

 

[jda]

Any true commercial business should look into 480v service. The power is way cheaper in most places. Some of the grow houses around me pay like 1/4 to 1/3 what they would pay with a residential service.

If your local laws make the local utility credit you for over production, then it is worth it. You don't need to spend on batteries and your daily credits when the sun is out pay for the darker times. Not all states are like this and it is 1980 in some of them. Do your research.

I have solar to pay for my hot tub and fish tanks... and more. I figure that I needed to at least do this to justify a few of my ridiculous hobbies/likes to the rest of the world. We were 8 cents base rate in my area when I got them... it is like 11 now, but it still feels right to me.

Unless you plan to move in a few years, it is worth it. Even if you do move, the panels do add value to your home but not usually 100% of what you spent at first. Like any true real estate, the panels do go up in value over time like the rest of the home. If you live in a sunny area, the ROI can be very fast with saved electrical costs, tax credits, appreciation (after initial depreciation), etc. However, if you only see this as a money calculation, then these might not be for you.

 

[shakacuz]

living in an apartment, its difficult for me to convert. but i have definitely entertained the idea of having solar power run my DT and just....everything lol. especially with storms and such, always good to have a backup power source. i just don't have the knowledge or experience to DIM(do it myself)

 

[CrimsonTide]

IMO, a minimum for the ability to have power at night or to have power when the panels do not keep up seems appropriate to me. Otherwise, non solar users are paying for your back up power capability.

Yeah its not necessarily a small nominal fee. You essentially have to pay a fee to keep your power on. There's a minimum power bill that your house can have so that is the number you pay for power usage even if you used 0% power from the grid. Then they charge you a punishment fee, they don't call it thay though, for using solar.

Then if you send power back on to the grid they won't ever give you credit for it. So in the winter or whenever you are using power you will pay full price for that with no credit but also pay the punishment fee for having solar even if you really aren't using it and having to use mainly 100% grid power.

I agree you should pay something for them to keep you connected but Alabama takes it a little too far.

 

[Troylee]

In my state of Alabama even if I had panels they won't give me credit for extra power generated and you still have to pay a minimum fee every month to have the privilege of them allowing you to have solar.

It's a monopoly. I would love to put panels on my house. The previous owner took out all the trees in my yard and on the front and back of my house is two horse pastures that belong to my neighbors. I have zero intrusion except if there's clouds.

Really hate my state someti

Yeah its not necessarily a small nominal fee. You essentially have to pay a fee to keep your power on. There's a minimum power bill that your house can have so that is the number you pay for power usage even if you used 0% power from the grid. Then they charge you a punishment fee, they don't call it thay though, for using solar.

Then if you send power back on to the grid they won't ever give you credit for it. So in the winter or whenever you are using power you will pay full price for that with no credit but also pay the punishment fee for having solar even if you really aren't using it and having to use mainly 100% grid power.

I agree you should pay something for them to keep you connected but Alabama takes it a little too far.

Not sure what Alabama is but Vegas they charge a $13 connection fee monthly and that’s it if my solar produces enough for my usage.. all my credits go back on the grid and I get paid 75 cents on the dollar for it! Stupid but hey… whatever……..

 

[Reeferbadness]

Wow! You produced 48kWh in one day?

In the summer, it's a little over 60kWh a day. The electric bill for May/June/July/August runs negative with Dec/Jan being pretty expensive. In the end, it just about balances out... including enough juice for my electric car, 2 eBikes, 2 mixed reef tanks and all the other power needs. It wasn't a cheap investment but will definitely pay off over time.

 

[CrimsonTide]

Not sure what Alabama is but Vegas they charge a $13 connection fee monthly and that’s it if my solar produces enough for my usage.. all my credits go back on the grid and I get paid 75 cents on the dollar for it! Stupid but hey… whatever……..

In alabama you get zero credits for any overproduction of electricity. So essentially they just steal and don't pay you. It's part of your privilege for them allowing you to be connected to the grid.

 

[jda]

Some states suck more than others are some things and we all know this and everybody has gripes with their own state. In Colorado, nobody that I knows tries to overproduce - foolish, right? The electric companies have to pay you for it, but it is not much - most just credit the kWh for later. The connection fee is the privilege to get power if a tree falls on your rig, snow covers your panels for a few days, etc - worth it since batteries to run a home for 3-4 days can be well over $25k. A 10k backup generator, transfer switch, propane, etc. is over $5k installed (or more) which at $15 a month is almost 30 years to pay back the generator.

Even the greedy energy companies have seen the benefit of solar. A new Natural Gas Peaker Plant can cost them hundreds of millions of dollar and these can become less necessary when customers have solar - think less AC power need on hot summer days. Hopefully, even in states without any good laws, the power companies are starting to wise up. It isn't like there are tons of good things coming from other states that they can study.

 

[Troylee]

In alabama you get zero credits for any overproduction of electricity. So essentially they just steal and don't pay you. It's part of your privilege for them allowing you to be connected to the grid.

If that’s the case I would get a battery bank and store your own power.. cost a lot more but you should stay clear of the grid that way granted you get enough sun light.

 

[sfmacguy]

I'm also running halides and a chiller, and have 2 full size AC units to cool the house in the summer. I've had the solar and batteries about 4 years now, and haven't had an Electric bill since install, which has been pretty great. During the Summer I generate over 100kWh daily, which is enough to offset the winter months with less generation. We have one more year to hit the break even point.

 

[jda]

In alabama you get zero credits for any overproduction of electricity. So essentially they just steal and don't pay you. It's part of your privilege for them allowing you to be connected to the grid.

Why would you try and overproduce? You make extra during the day (meter runs backwards), use it at night and take a bit more for the month than you make? Have like a $20 electric bill. It isn't like they steal all of the power during the day and then charge you at night.

 

[CrimsonTide]

Why would you try and overproduce? You make extra during the day (meter runs backwards), use it at night and take a bit more for the month than you make? Have like a $20 electric bill. It isn't like they steal all of the power during the day and then charge you at night.

You get zero credit for anything. So unless you have batteries you would be paying for your bill at night. So it would be like free day time power and paying night time.

I'm not saying people don't have solar down here I'm just saying the state makes it hard to want to buy solar.