Let's help each other's Electric bill

[orangesunshine]

I don't know if this is addressed here or another thread. Operate your mn and hps on with 220v or multivoltage ballasts instead of 120v saves a bunch of $$$$. Easy to run wiring then need heavier duty 220v timers too. Should be easy to find on ebay or other sources.

this makes no sense

 

[dirt and more]

ever heard of ohm's law?? LOL
ya buy em books and send em to school and what do they do? They tear the pages out!!! LOL

 

[orangesunshine]

no---never heard of ohm's law---and no i don't read too good neither do i believe all i read---please explain how ohm's law translates into 1000w ballast and bulb burning less kw when run on 110 wire than 1000w ballast and bulb burning on a 220 wire---or is it that a---1000w ballast and bulb burns less kw on 220 wire than on 110 wire---very confused :stoned:

A 1000 W (1 kW) appliance running for one hour will use 1 kWh (one killowatt hour) of energy. This is true whether it is running on 240 V or 120 V (V = volt).

An appliance with a POWER consumption rating of 1000 W (that is, 1 kW), when run for an hour, consumes 1 kWh of ENERGY.

The same energy is used whether we use 110 or 220 V voltage. If it were different, we could save energy by switching. We do not. It is that with 110 V, the appliance would draw twice the current that it would from a 220 V supply line. The product of V (voltage) x I (current) is P (power), which is the energy an appliance needs to run on per second, remains the same.

the quotes listed above are plagiarized from "newton" and it's writers listed here

Ali Khounsary, Ph.D.
Advanced Photon Source
Argonne National Laboratory

Richard Barrans, Ph.D., M.Ed.
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Wyoming

Best, **** Plano, Professor of Physics emeritus, Rutgers University

think i'll be keeping my 110 wiring---thanks

 

[Hick]

Duh REALLY??? I know the reason. Maybe I thought the point of this thread was to help each other save $$$. 220v vs 110v saves 1/2 usage of kilowatts. Might help somebody stay a little safer too

Simply "not" so.... 1000 watts is 1000 watts, whether it's coming from a 440 volt source or 110...

This is a common misunderstanding about how electricity works and how the power companies charge you for it. The point often noted for the money saving argument is that the amperage is half as much when running grow lights on 220 volts instead of 110 volts. This is true but the utility company doesn’t charge you for amperage, they charge you for wattage. They bill you in kilowatt-hour units. A kilowatt-hour is 1000 watts of usage for one hour or approximately equals a 1000 watt light running for one hour. There’s a nice formula for this: Wattage / Voltage = Amperage. If we plug in the numbers for a 1000 watt sodium grow light, you can see that although the voltage and amperage can change, the wattage always stays the same.
1000 Sodium Grow Light
On 110 Volts: 1100W / 110V = 10A - On 220 Volts: 1100W / 220V = 5A
Note that a 1000 watt sodium ballast draws 1100 watts.
Right about now is when I get the question "well why do they make stuff to run on 220 volts then?" Usually large machines and appliances that draw lots of power run on 220 volts (or more) mainly because of the size wire you would need to use to run them on 110 volts would be very large. The gauge and length of the wire will determine the maximum amperage it will handle before it melts! On a 220 volt circuit, the load is split between two 110 volt wires. This allows you to run smaller wire. This brings us to the "probably" part of the answer. There is another factor, it’s the voltage drop or the voltage lost when the power travels down the wire. The lower the resistance on the wire, the less the voltage drop. If you are running one or two lights in a typical home with the breaker box a short distance away, the efficiency lost due to voltage drop may not be significant enough to justify rewiring your grow room for 220 volts.

hxxp://www.hydroponics.net/learn/is-220-volts-more-efficient.asp

.......
The reason behind using a 220 volt circuit verses the 110 is the wire size needed to carry the amount of current used. It comes down to the cost of wiring and that is it.
In the equation below the 220 volt/10 amp unit would only use 14 gauge wire. The 110 unit would have to use a larger gauge wire to perform the same function with 12 gauge wire.
The larger the gauge number, the smaller the wire, thus less the cost.
Sorry to say there is no cost difference to operate a 110 A/C to a 220 unit. Unlike the statement made below, it will take you forever to see the cost difference in your electric bill as you will be using the same amount of power for both.....

hxxp://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_a_220_volt_Air_Conditioner_cost_less_to_operate_than_a_110_volt_with_the_same_btu%27s


that said.... the "efficiency" of 220 wiring would "probably" result in a VERY minute savings, over an extended period.

 

[Jericho]

Haha. I don't know what they charge where you live mate but through the whole of europe if you receive power on a 110v or 240v you get the charged the same per KWH. No difference what so every when it comes down to pricing.

 

[Classic]

Duh REALLY??? I know the reason. Maybe I thought the point of this thread was to help each other save $$$. 220v vs 110v saves 1/2 usage of kilowatts. Might help somebody stay a little safer too

No, this is a common misconception. The power used is the product of Volts times the Amps. It is true that you have half the amps at 220 but you have twice the volts. When you multiply it out, the power consumption is the same at 220 as it is at 110.

If you don't believe this, you need to study Ohm's Law a little more.

 

[Hushpuppy]

certain appliances and electronic components do run more efficiently on 240v than on 120v and therefore will be a little more cost efficient but not half the cost. I doubt very seriously that the light ballasts would be that much more efficient on 240v that it would make a dollar's worth of difference.

Electric motors are one of the electric components that is more efficient when run with higher voltage, but that is really only the motors that are used for powering mechanical devices that draw heavily on the motor. Solid state components are not more efficient on higher voltage. In fact, if you are using digital components, they require less voltage as higher voltage and current is damaging to solid state components, and only in recent years have they made transisters that can handle high amounts of current effectively. JMHO and 25years experience as an electronics technician.

 

[dirt and more]

Thanks to u all for correcting me and my misconception. Only cuts amps in half. Got it. I'm pretty big, but not too big to admit when I am wrong.

Another thought. Maybe not cost saving. If your water heater is electric and cooking stove for that matter. Convert to gas. Use that additional electricity for something more productive or so you're lower key.

 

[Jericho]

Wow. It's refreshing to see someone admit when they are wrong. A genuine welcome to mp mate.

 

[Hick]

Thanks to u all for correcting me and my misconception. Only cuts amps in half. Got it. I'm pretty big, but not too big to admit when I am wrong.

Another thought. Maybe not cost saving. If your water heater is electric and cooking stove for that matter. Convert to gas. Use that additional electricity for something more productive or so you're lower key.

Perfectly understandable dirt'... I know some electricians that couldn't start your truck..

Lets convert the hottub too...

 

[dirt and more]

Thank for the pic Hick. Those folks standing around watching don't appear to be cannibals. A good laugh

 

[gorickyourself]

Use led lights ,they. Cost 30 to 40 Alice but they are good!!!

 

[hashcraze956]

Indisputedly, LED Lights rules the Game ! Just try it once and you will feel the difference it makes to your savings !

SPAM REMOVED

 

[DankHobbyist]

Call electric company and ask for rate analysis. I told the guy I was going to use approximately x kwh from 8 to 8 overnight because I hit new equipment. He told me I could stay on the care program as long as I didn't go over 3x baseline for my area. Said it doesn't matter. They don't give a **** I asked another representative about growing and care program. They said it don't matter baseline is only thing. So IM allowed something like 2400 kwh month before I need to get off care program.

But the point ris you can call em and tell em your using 18kwh a night with new stuff and want to know if you could switch to time of day tiers from monthly amount tiers. So now my cheapest rates are at night. Also tent will help keep House warm.

 

[AluminumMonster]

Something that saved me money was switching to renewable energy. I switched from our main power supply company, who uses nuclear energy, to a company that produces electricity with wind farms. I saw a $40 dollar a month decrease in my bill. I also don't feel guilty for using more than my share anymore.

 

[Michael94]

Electric bill has always been the problem.