energy bill

jugde_matt · Member Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 21

im gettin a six foot cage from this pet store and already have a four foot and im planning to move them both to my garage

furthermore my electricity bill went up again so i wanna know what type of lights some of you use to possibly bring down that cost

i was thinkin of getting away from a heat bulb and uv tube and planning on either the powersun bulb or possibly a ceramic since they last so long and then either a compact uv or floresent tube

any suggesetions? will any of these options make a diff in the bill or no?
can someone share on setups in thier garages?

thanks

matt

Nero557 · Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:32 pm Post subject:

Well, you seem to have it figured out already, the mercury vapor bulb will cut down a little bit because it is only one single light. and if you use a coil uv bulb that will also help because those are way less watts than larger bulbs. Just make sure you have both heat and uva/uvb and you will be good. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
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agallegos37 · Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:32 pm Post subject:

I bet that whatever you did, it wouldn't really cut down on the cost that much. Maybe like two or three dollars, not even. It really depends on the wattage. The tube lights are only like 15 watts anyway; it's the heat lights that raise the energy bill.
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yeaitsdave · Honored Member Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 261

I'm pondering insulating the cage to try and keep in heat better. That way you could get away with a lower wattage bulb and still keep the temp where you need it

Teiidae · Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:48 pm Post subject:

A couple things to consider from my point of view

- What will be the daily ambient temp of this Garage with no heat at all ? - Considering you are going to a 6 foot tank, will 1 160 watt MVL heat and light that tank up enough - I doubt it - Keep in mind that there are "reccomended distances" that these MVL's are away from the animal in question, and we need a hot side as well as a variable cool side as well for a place to hide from the sun...

I do use "powersuns" on all my teiids enclosures, however they are only the main heat/light source for my Ameiva's enclosure @ 4x2x2 - under a fine mesh screen - I use a 10.0 on the cool side to light things up as the powersun does not light up the enclosure enough...

Heating/lighting combos are something you just have to play with for the enclosure you are providing - Keep a safe distance, but make sure you are getting the heat you need as well...
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Johelian · Retired Mod Joined: Nov 22, 2004 Posts: 848

To agree with agallego37 - its all really a bit of a much-of-a-muchness when it comes to "reducing" your power expenditure. We had the same concerns when we moved out of my parents house, but in reality the few things you would be able to comfortably sacrifice while keeping the cage at the right environment arent really worth it.

You really do need your enclosure to be bright in the daytime, not just warm; its the brightness that will stimulate activity in your tegu, and encourage them to move about foraging. In fact, photoperiod can have a strong effect on hibernation, along with temperature. This is another reason to have a UV tube (possibly along with a white light tube as well) the whole length of the tank to brighten it up.

jugde_matt · Member Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 21

thanks for the advice

im pickin up my cage tomorrow and today i got two powersuns a 160 for the 6 foot and a 100 for the 4 foot and the two ceramic heaters for the night

i found a page somewhere that gave estimates for how much energy should cost the powersun only reduces by like 2 or 3 dollars a month so yea