# how much does it cost to run a vivarium



## machine66

I have a 3ft bearded dragon viv and I was just wondering how much electricity it takes to run it and is it expensive. Just my g/f moaning about it.


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## StumpyFingers

It depends on the type of lights / heating you have and times it is on.
I have 5 corn snakes and they are on all the time 2x 60w light, 11w heat mat and 2 150 w lamps all controlled by thermostat. I have two Beardies in two separate vivs both use 36" uv tubes and 150w heat lamps on twelve hours a day timed and it costs about £1.40 per day, I have just added one viv for the Bosc monitor using a 60w heat lamp on the same 12 hour timer.


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## dannyboy1

it really doesn't cost that much at all 2 run I viv, I don't even notice it tbh


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## imginy

A 3 foot bearded dragon viv would cost about £1 a week at most


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## HanRed

i used to think it cost a lot, but my mum assures me it really doesn't cost anything. ya don't really notice it.


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## bumbleyjoe

One viv you dont really notice, its when you start adding more and more reps to your collection that it starts to be a problem. Especialy when you first move out of your parents house and realise that the rent you had been paying them for the past few years really basically only covered the cost of the reps and now you have to pay it all yourself!:blush::whistling2:


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## Cyberlizard

Bear in mind that (if my memory serves me correctly) the higher the wattage of an electrical device, the more it usually costs. I stand open to correction here (years since I did physics) but certainly heat mats appears to be low wattage devices, and I don't think ordinary bulbs on timers use much power either. I'm not sure about UV lights running off their transformers, but again I don't think it's that much. Maybe if you were keeping a load of _Uromastyx _at their favoured baking levels of heat with several UV lights then you might notice it.

The sort of devices that use up a lot of power are (I think) things like room heaters. Theoretically if you left an electric kettle on for hours you would probably also notice that on your bill (assuming of course it didn't burn out after the water had boiled dry). I saw the power surge from one of these knock down a load of PCs after it overloaded the fuse on that particular circuit - most embarrassing as I was the one who had plugged it in to make a cup of tea. :lol2:
To reassure you, at one point I was running about ten vivaria, mostly with UV and certainly all using heat mats and bulbs, and even then I did not get any nasty shocks on my electricity bill - which isn't to say of course that it wouldn't have been lower without any of the animals. But the point is that they don't incur massive running costs in terms of energy.


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## bumbleyjoe

Cyberlizard said:


> Bear in mind that (if my memory serves me correctly) the higher the wattage of an electrical device, the more it usually costs. I stand open to correction here (years since I did physics) but certainly heat mats appears to be low wattage devices, and I don't think ordinary bulbs on timers use much power either. I'm not sure about UV lights running off their transformers, but again I don't think it's that much. Maybe if you were keeping a load of _Uromastyx _at their favoured baking levels of heat with several UV lights then you might notice it.
> 
> The sort of devices that use up a lot of power are (I think) things like room heaters. Theoretically if you left an electric kettle on for hours you would probably also notice that on your bill (assuming of course it didn't burn out after the water had boiled dry). I saw the power surge from one of these knock down a load of PCs after it overloaded the fuse on that particular circuit - most embarrassing as I was the one who had plugged it in to make a cup of tea. :lol2:
> 
> Lol, i blew up a kettle once, it rattled round like crazy and then went bang! scared the life out of me and made a terrible smell!:lol2:
> 
> To reassure you, at one point I was running about ten vivaria, mostly with UV and certainly all using heat mats and bulbs, and even then I did not get any nasty shocks on my electricity bill - which isn't to say of course that it wouldn't have been lower without any of the animals. But the point is that they don't incur massive running costs in terms of energy.


 
I guess it depends on what you keep, If you have 10 vivs all on low wattage heat mats and uv tubes (again low wattage) then you wont notice it much. But If those 10 vivs all have 150watt Heat bulbs and a uv tube the you are obviously going to notice it a hell of a lot more. It all depends on the reptiles you keep, the requirements they have and the equipment you use. 

But If its just one viv (even if it had high wattage equipment in it) you wouldnt really notice it on the bill!


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## machine66

thanks everyone now it might make her stop moaning lol


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## Welsh dragon

My electric cooker costs me more to run on electric than anything, and watch the red button on your meter when you plug the kettle in and if you got a tumble dryer it will blink like hell . They all take more electric than a 3ft viv


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## x-Al-x

I got a six foot tank and eight 22 inch tanks. 
Mum does'nt have a go at me about it. Xbox uses more i think


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## Cyberlizard

I can imagine tumble driers sucking up the old juice... :lol2:


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## sedgehog51

If you really want to know how much it costs you can work it out this way;

1st Work out the daily usage of each item: Watts x hours used for.

2nd add up all the figures so you have the total wattage used for the viv

3rd Calculate:

Total Wattage/1000*price per kwh*1.175= total cost of elec for 1 day (price per kwh usually shows on bill (in pence))

Thats what the electricity cost is per day (just remember the figure you will get is approximate (especially if you have a proportional stat) but should show the most its costing.

Hope this helps


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## sedgehog51

Forgot to say, because I'm a sad accountant and care mildly about these things I have a spreadsheet that can auto calculate the cost of any number of vivs for you. If anyone wants a copy PM me and i'll send it to you !!!!





sedgehog51 said:


> If you really want to know how much it costs you can work it out this way;
> 
> 1st Work out the daily usage of each item: Watts x hours used for.
> 
> 2nd add up all the figures so you have the total wattage used for the viv
> 
> 3rd Calculate:
> 
> Total Wattage/1000*price per kwh*1.175= total cost of elec for 1 day (price per kwh usually shows on bill (in pence))
> 
> Thats what the electricity cost is per day (just remember the figure you will get is approximate (especially if you have a proportional stat) but should show the most its costing.
> 
> Hope this helps


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## Jude

Well I've pm'd! I'd well like a copy!  Not a 'sad accountant'... Just sad obviously!


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## sedgehog51

I freely admit this ! lol

:lol2:


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## fatgecko72

I have one of those digital power monitors that tells you how much electricity your using per hour and it gives you different read outs, kw/h, £/h, co2/h etc. 
Trust me your viv won't be making hardly any difference to your electric bill..........your g/f hairdryer usage in 1 day will use more than your viv does in 2 weeks:lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## Jude

Carl I meant I'm not a sad accountant I'm just sad! Anyhoo 'tis brilliant your spreadsheet! I'm well impressed with it already! :notworthy:

You see? I am plain sad! But happy to admit it luckily


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## jillygirl

my friend had a marine aquarium.. that was a bit costly :whistling2: when he moved out to uni he decommissioned it and his mum told him how much energy it used ... bit of a shocker !!! i cant say i have seen a difference with my beardie viv and leo set up to be honest.:2thumb:


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## sedgehog51

I'm looking forward to having a nice wall of vivariums, with a great collection....(a few years off yet) I dread to think what that will cost !:gasp:


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## sedgehog51

Anyone else for the spreadsheet?! Just PM me your email address and I will send !

:2thumb:



sedgehog51 said:


> Forgot to say, because I'm a sad accountant and care mildly about these things I have a spreadsheet that can auto calculate the cost of any number of vivs for you. If anyone wants a copy PM me and i'll send it to you !!!!


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## sedgehog51

*Bump*

Bump!


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## fatgecko72

sedgehog51 said:


> Anyone else for the spreadsheet?! Just PM me your email address and I will send !
> 
> :2thumb:


PM sent :2thumb::2thumb::2thumb:


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## Jeffers3

The cost of 1 unit of electricity is about 10p. It's not straightforward to calculate this, because the suppliers would rather we didn't know. Therefore, they hide the price within their overly complicated tariff systems.

Therefore 1KW costs 10p per hour, or £2.40 per day.

So how many KW does a viv use? Well, that depends on what you have inside. Heaters are often the greatest culprits. My viv has a 150W (or 0.15 KW) ceramic heater, but it is on a thermostat. To simplify things, let's assume this means it operates for 50% of the time. I also have a UV lamp, which I think is 20W - let's say 30W (or 0.03 KW) for a worst case scenario. That is on for 14 hours a day. I don't have any other lighting, but some people have an additional light, which would probably be about another 30W. Again, this would be on for about 14 hours.

Total KWh = (0.15 x 12) + (0.03 x 14) + (0.03 x 14) = 2.64 KWh per day

This means it will cost 26.4p to run a viv like this per day. This works out at around £96 per year.


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## sedgehog51

Formula similar to that posted earlier and of that used on spreadsheet I have sent to a few of you !

Jeffers is right. elec companies do like to shroud us in mystery as to how much things cost. Have had interesting dicussions with an elec supplier, advisor couldn't tell me how much elec anything used and would cost! not even a UK average !



Jeffers3 said:


> The cost of 1 unit of electricity is about 10p. It's not straightforward to calculate this, because the suppliers would rather we didn't know. Therefore, they hide the price within their overly complicated tariff systems.
> 
> Therefore 1KW costs 10p per hour, or £2.40 per day.
> 
> So how many KW does a viv use? Well, that depends on what you have inside. Heaters are often the greatest culprits. My viv has a 150W (or 0.15 KW) ceramic heater, but it is on a thermostat. To simplify things, let's assume this means it operates for 50% of the time. I also have a UV lamp, which I think is 20W - let's say 30W (or 0.03 KW) for a worst case scenario. That is on for 14 hours a day. I don't have any other lighting, but some people have an additional light, which would probably be about another 30W. Again, this would be on for about 14 hours.
> 
> Total KWh = (0.15 x 12) + (0.03 x 14) + (0.03 x 14) = 2.64 KWh per day
> 
> This means it will cost 26.4p to run a viv like this per day. This works out at around £96 per year.


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## guidotheguru

Could i please get a copy of your spreadsheet.
thanks


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