Do heaters add a lot to the electricity bill?

[robotdeathsquad]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if heaters add a significant cost to the electricity bill?

Assume the price for electricity is 16 cents per Kwh

The reason I am asking is because Im seeing 50watts to 100watts for heaters. I have a 20 gallon long aquarium. I live in the south, so not much cold down here.

Any alternatives (eco or wallet friendly)?

Thanks!


P.S. I assume that heaters are left on all day 24/7 ?

 

[FastFly67]

Heaters switch on and off depending on what temperature you have them set to. If you keep your house at 72 and your tank at 74, then obviously it shouldn't be running all the time or else you'd have boiled fish.

 

[Rbishop]

Yep, not even as much as most table lamps.......

 

[Nessie]

...I was wondering if heaters add a significant cost to the electricity bill?...

I posted this on another thread:

Here is an online calculator that should help estimate your electric usage.

This is the FishTank calculator:

http://boonedocks.net/fishtank/ftweb.php

The FishTank calculator takes the dimensions of your tank, plus the temperature you wish to raise the water from, that is room temp to water temp and calculates the constant wattage needed (plus a number of other things). You'll note after running it that your heater doesn't have to run 24/7 in order to heat your tank, just intermittently.

There is also a meter called the kill-a-watt that will directly measure the wattage you are using, from which you can calculate your costs:

http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation...5179755&sr=8-1

 

[BettaFishMommy]

since i moved to my new apartment in September i've taken my heaters out of both my 55 gals, since the new place stays warmer than the old one. i've noticed my power bill is about 10 bucks less per month nowadays, but that might also be because i have less lights that stay on often in the new place. gotta love big south facing windows! lol.

 

[FSM]

A 50 vs 100 watt heater will make no difference in the amount of power used.

50 watts might be a bit weak for a 20 gallon though, depending on the temperature in your house. It might stay on non stop.