Which lighting system would be cheaper on my electric bills.

[ronhjr]

I have a 180 gallon, 72in Reeftank, mainly soft corals and mushrooms.
I currently have a Aquatenics fixture running 3 - 250 watt MH
bulbs w/ 4 39w T-5's.

My electric bills have shot up since getting this fixture. I have the opportunity to get a coralife 6 x 96 PC fixure.

Would I see any difference in the electric bills by running this fixture instead, and also would it produce less heat, as I need to
keep the A/C on alot since its keeping my house warmer. ( small townhouse )

Thxs.

[Bebo77]

t5's are better then pc's

[RichConley]

Your current lighting pulls about 900w. The other fixture is about 600w.

If run 8 hours a day, and your electricity is $.10 / kwh, changing will save you roughly $7 a month. You may get another $10-15 a month back from decreased AC usage.


you'll have about 10% the light, for 60% of the electricity usage.

[pleaselaunchme]

Current fixture:
250W X 3 = 750
39w X 4 = 156
Total: 906W/ hour with them all running

6 x 96W= 576W/ hour for them all

But then again, your light cycle will make a difference in how many lamps you run concurrently.

Ben

[pleaselaunchme]

Never mind, brain fart.

[Dwarf Seahorses]

Skip the PC's and get T5, theyr'e MUCH better and more energy efficient.

[mr.maroonsalty]

Am I correct it is not as clear cut as "I have a 250 w halide bulb, therefore, 250 w are used." Bulb/ballast combinations use different amounts of electricity. Dr. Joshi has many 250 bulb/ballast w/watts at his comparison website.