Maths Question!

[Booldawg]

Not sure how to work this out!

Looking into how much it will cost to power a vivarium. The heating lamp is 150w and will be on 24 hours a day. My electricity tariff is 12.325p per KwH.

I'm assuming that the lamp will consume the full 150w at all times, or will the power output vary depending on the maintained heat?

If anyone could answer the equation based on full output of 150w per hour that would help me out! TIA

[bhg481]

Daily usage = 150 x 24 watt.hours/day = 3.6 KWH per day.
At 12.235p per KWH = 44.37 p per day or £161.95 per annum.

This will be an overestimation as the heat will not be on continuously.
You need someone who actually runs a vivarium to give you a more practical figure.

[Buenchico]

Unless there's a thermostat switching the lamp on and off periodically, you'll be using 150W at all times.

So 0.15 x 12.325 x 24 = 44.37p per day

[Booldawg]

Thanks all! there is a thermostat connected to the lamp that can be set via a knob, so guess it wont be 150w all the time.

[bhg481]

150w is fairly powerful in a small vivarium, so it's most unlikely it will be on all the time, hence my hope that someone who actually has a vivarium will tell you roughly how much of the time the heater is on for. Buenchico and I have both quoted you the maximum it will cost you.

[woofgang]

How long it will be on for will depend on the size of the viv, its location (near a radiator, catches sun, in a draught or cool spot where the heat will be dissipated) and, crucially what you have got in the viv and what temp it needs to be kept at......also are you expecting to provide a basking spot with a temp gradient across the viv (cooler at one end than the other) or does the whole viv have to be kept warmer than ambient?

[woofgang]

oh and some viv residents will need a heater on 24/7, some need a cooler night. If the inhabitants need a min heat 24/7 then you need a non lighting heat lamp for night time temps and a lighting heat lamp for daytime