$72.19/month electricity cost

[addy1]

They do sell externals that use less energy .I think addy has 1 that uses less .If you shop around you may be able to find 1 cheaper .I google until I dropped about submersible pumps and other 1 was the Oases which you don't see any where cheap .I got 4 year warranty on mine so that does help .

I use a lim dragon pump 6425 gph, it uses 4 amps. I have been using it for around 15 yrs now, first my arizona pond now my maryland pond.

 

[D&RW]

That 72.19 is a calculated pond electricity cost. our total bill last months was $129. we don't have a TV, but it might do to check out the other appliances. i re-did the math on the pump electricity because i hadn't factored in that we turn off the UV and the waterfall for 4-5 months in the winter because of the supercooling effect it has on the water. after factoring these in the monthly average cost is about 51.00.

so what about turning off the flow through the main filter some hours a day, with the larger aerator in it of course?

 

[Dave 54]

Dieselplower: Well, i already tried the one pump option. using the sequence external pump i replumbed the system with 2 3-way valves. there was too much head for the 4500 gph sequence. waterfall slowed way down. probably too slow for good bio-filtration. at that time i thought about buying a larger external pump, but didn't. i'll have to crunch the numbers again on a bigger sequence. they get very pricey when you get up in the high gph range. and not sure of the energy use comparatively.

Dave 54: downsize? how.

Troutredds: we live down in Salem. haven't compared electricity costs w/other parts of the country, but our combined Kwh cost is about 11.12 cents. Man, that's a lot of amps. you must be running it on 220.

My friend Lee downsized his pond by half filling one half in and keeping the other then adding a new liner the result a much smaller pond with equipment that will burn less electric you'd be on a winner, some folks say size matters when it comes to ponds .

Dave

 

[sissy]

I replace all my tv's with led and my computer monitors also .We have a thing you can sign up for through our utility company but it takes at least 2 hours or more to list every thing and they tell you when something is drawing to much power .It really helps and now with the new heat pump and it being monitored by the installer and lennox and my utility company it should help lower my bills .I did look into those rental solar panels .They maintain them and you reap the rewards .They are getting more popular lately

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Yeah you guys have nothing to complain about with your electric bills. Mine has been going over $500/month in the Summer, and $350-400 in the Winter! I had the utility company out several times to investigate the problem, but they couldn't find anything wrong. This is despite the fact that we killed the main breaker to the house, and the meter was still turning... The best idea I've heard is that because the wires are old, there's probably a break in the insulation and its leaking juice straight into the ground. For the money I'm spending, its worth having someone come out and run a new wire up to my house.

However regarding the OP, definitely look into better pumps! When I was rebuilding my pond, I considered this as well. My original 3000gph pump pulled 3 amps. I bought two new 2900gph pumps which each pull 1.2 amps... I figured up that I would have twice the flow and save enough money to pay for the new pumps in about a year and a half.

As a consideration, look at the Laguna Max-Flo 4280 -- it has a head-height of 14 feet and only pulls 1.45 amps @120V, or 160 watts. My Laguna's have been reliable over the past 4 years, although the cage does get clogged up with string algae easily (just had to clear them out this morning again before work).

 

[sissy]

yeh laguna told me I should have the 4280 for my pond but I wanted 2 pumps .Good gosh that electric bill would not fly well with me .They put in the new digital meters 4 years ago here and i monitor my meter online .If it spikes they now let me know which appliance is pulling to much .It is worth the time i put in listing everything online to them .Great to know some one did not close the freezer door all the way .Hubby got ice cream last night and did not close the door all the way and puter was e -mailed and heard the ding ding that e-mail makes when the utility company lets me know .It was only slightly open for half hour .We may be country but we are hitting the modern age .