# Thermostat Wattage



## Crazyhorsegirl (Mar 28, 2017)

Hi, hope this is the right place to post this but I've got a question about thermostats that I can't seem to find the answer to anywhere. My question is how much wattage is a thermostat? Do you pay for the device the thermostat is running (for example a 13w heat mat), the thermostat device or both? I thought that the device itself (the thermostat without anything attached) must have a certain wattage but I can't seem to find it anywhere. I'm looking into getting a crested/gargoyle gecko in the future and just want to know how much it is going to cost to run a thermostat with a heat mat and a UVB bulb. I also want to know if a thermostat (so the device and what it is controlling) can be switched off fully in the warmer months of the year when the temperature doesn't drop below 22 degrees?

Any help or advise would be much appreciated, thanks!


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

A stat regulates the temp within the enclosure to the temp that you set via a probe.

As such the use of power is always variable.

The stat will have its own minimal running wattage, just a point of a watts on a mat stat, nothing really noticeable.

This is where your running costs can be saved. 

a 13w mat will run at around 13w if plugged in 24/7 365.

if you use a stat the stat will regulate the desired temp by supplying the power to that heat source that is needed to maintain that temp. If the ambient around the probe is high the power or wattage supplied to the mat will reduce. So, in the colder months the stat will send power to the mat for longer periods. In the hotter month it could be running at full pelt for a much shorter time

whatever the ambient the stat will ensure that your animal is heated correctly. This can stop a dangerous over heating when compared to direct power.

in short and in almost all systems 'stats save lives and money' in the long run


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## dcap (Sep 3, 2011)

Just to add to Arcadiajohn's comment ... if you live in a studio flat or a 5 bedroom house, assuming you have the standard kitchen appliances (fridge, kettle, toaster, washing machine, microwave) then you really won't notice a the power addition of a thermostat + 13W heat mat. 

Those of us with dedicated reptile room(s) and multiple set-ups and lots of heaters and stats will of course get a higher electricity bill than more normal folk. But for comparison ... I don't own a TV or microwave and my electricity bill is a little lower than the price of a normal household (I get a summary once a year from my supplier stating what my usage is and the national average). This is with two dedicated reptile rooms.

I've seen questions in the past about people wanting to turn their reptile heating off in the summer in the UK (if we get a hot summer like last year!). No. Your stats will just stop requesting heat from the heat mat if the room gets too hot. I have one species that I have to move to a cooler part of the house since they cannot cope with a hot UK summer temp.

I know that for certain times of year, at certain times of the day, while my stats are switched on they aren't heating the mats at all since I have several snake species that like a 28'C hot spot and in a hot summer the room ambient can get pretty close to that, their enclosure is already warmer than the room ... I know I'm saving power already in those months without adjusting the stat.

I'm not up to speed on the power usage and times of the various UV bulbs as I'm not yet back to vivs, but again, with just one smallish vivarium for a smallish lizard I doubt you'd see the cost on your monthly electric bill.


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## grahamhypher (Dec 30, 2008)

I'm not sure this is what you're asking, but the highest power heater I've seen is a 250 watt. So think about it as the same as light bulbs, the old incandescent ones. So if you had 2 rooms with 100 watt bulbs in each and another room with a 50 watt bulb, that would be the same amount of electricity as the heater, assuming they were all on. Your kettle for example will be between 1200-3000 watts. Hope that helps.


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## Crazyhorsegirl (Mar 28, 2017)

Hi guys thanks for the replies, r advice has been helpful. What I am basically asking what is the overall wattage used when a thermostat is attached to a heat mat?
Thanks.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

it will be a % of the given wattage of the mat. It cant be any more.

I asked HabiStat yesterday the given wattage of a HabiStat matstat and it is less than 1w




Crazyhorsegirl said:


> Hi guys thanks for the replies, r advice has been helpful. What I am basically asking what is the overall wattage used when a thermostat is attached to a heat mat?
> Thanks.


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