Monthly cost estimation calculator to maintain a tank

[ortegafever]

Created this excel sheet with the ability to estimate monthly electricity and water cost to maintain a tank while i am planning the equipments for my new tank.

Not sure if anyone did this before but would like to share it with the bros here at AQ.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2663499/Aqu...stimation.xlsx (for newer office version)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2663499/Aqu...Estimation.xls (for older office version)

The tariffs i used are obtained from singapore's EMA and PUB hence overseas bros will have to search for their own rates and use it at your own discretion!
Do let me know if you found any mistakes, thanks.

[ortegafever]

Anyone find this useful? Or is it the "if you wanna keep a nice tank, forget the price!" mentality?

[chakhol]

This is great! I'm gonna punch in my numbers and see if that can "justify" a 2nd tank.

[ortegafever]

This is great! I'm gonna punch in my numbers and see if that can "justify" a 2nd tank.

Happy going!

The chiller part is a bit tricky, i guess you have to use the working current x voltage (230V) to find the wattage.

[octopus]

Hi Ortegafever,

Thanks for sharing and for the trouble taken to come up with a userfriendly spreadsheet. At least now i know how much it is costing to upkeep my tank.

[ortegafever]

Hi Ortegafever,

Thanks for sharing and for the trouble taken to come up with a userfriendly spreadsheet. At least now i know how much it is costing to upkeep my tank.

Hi octopus,

You're welcome, it was no trouble at all as initially i created that spreadsheet out of curiosity. My mum was complaining that keeping a tank will waste a lot of water and electricity. Well, the spreadsheet prove otherwise.

[skyjuice]

The formula for the power consumption is ampere x volt x power factor(pf). For chiller motor, the power factor can vary from 0.1 at no load to about 0.95 at full load. As chiller does not have capacity control, it will run almost full load initially, then load reduces progressively. One can then assume the average pf is around 0.85. Therefore, if one has the rated current I, one can use 230*I*0.85 to work out the power. Time the starting and stopping time of the chiller run, one should be able to work out how many start/stop per day roughly. For example, assuming it take 10 minutes to run and 20 minutes rest, it will take =24*60/(10+20)=48 start/stop per day and the rated current is 2 Ampere, then the power consumption will be roughly =48*10min/60*2 A*230V*0.85 or 2.9 kwh per day. Of course, this is only a rough estimate as cooling loads are never constant. Chiller runs less at night. Hope that will help.

Happy going!

The chiller part is a bit tricky, i guess you have to use the working current x voltage (230V) to find the wattage.

[skyjuice]

Just to add, it will be more accurate using actual measured amperage than using manufacturer's rated current. This is because rated current usually refers to the maximum current. Check also your xls sheet. For the lamp power consumption, one would need to add losses for ballasts and drivers. For normal 40 watts flourescent fittings, one will need to add an additional 10 watts per fitting or 20% for normal ballast. This is also applicable for PL flourescent fitting. for elctronic ballast, add 6 watts per fitting or 15%. As for LED lighting, add around 10% for the driver. Hope that helps.

[bravobb]

Hi ortegafever,
Thanks for putting the effort.
But i want to add that you can also download the free app from NEA that calculate electricity bill for you. It will also give you a very good estimate on the $$$ involved for any setup.