Incubators and my electricity bill!!

[muddstopper]

watts=voltsXamps
Consider first that the heating element in your incubator will be your big Wattage draw, but doesnt stay on all the time. In a typical cabinet style incubator like the Dickey or Sportsman, the heating element is around 200W but will only cycle for a few seconds every few minutes to maintain proper warmth. The Fan that ciculates the air will run continuous for the entire 21 days and most likely (I havent checked this to be sure), will use as much or more power than the heater over a 21day period. If you really want to monitor your electrical consumption, I suggest that you buy one of those plug in meters. You plug your incubator into one and then plug it into the outlet. It will give you a digital display of how much power your incubator is using.

Since your typical house outlet is 120v and is fused to about 20amps, a maximum Wattage use would be 120VX20amps=2400watts. A large space heater would be around 1800W, normally 1500W.

 

[firedove]

If your brooders aren't huge I've found that using a 100 watt bulb is just as good as a 250 watt bulb, you just lower the fixture. And by week 3 you can be down to a 60 watt usually. It makes a big difference in the electric bill.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

We must just be in a cheap power area then!! Cause I run 5-6 250 watt heat bulbs non stop 9 months out of the year, and like I said earlier, all those cabinet incubators too and fish tanks with extremely high wattage lights on them(some 1000watts) . Even with all that going, my TOTAL power bill is only $200 ish a month, and has only gone down $25 or so since we turned off all the heat lights and incubators. I think yall are getting a little excited about the light bulb power monster! Trust me, I am a penny pincher, If it were that big of a difference, I'd know it. I mean, at the rate everyone is talking here, my total monthly power bill would have to be $400 or better, never even near that, shoot never even over $250 even in the peak of our 110 degree summers.

I would look somewhere else for the culprit!

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
Yes,very useful. Thanks for posting. You explained it in a way most will understand.

Will

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

My shop lights in the barn, 1 heat lamp (soon will be several) and incubator pushed our bull up about $40.00 last month...husband not too amused!

 

[MIKE555444]

I have found that we waste more than we should with general lights in our house. After watching closely I discovered we were burning our outside back porch light 24/7. Just turning off that light and the pantry light (that is ALWAYS left on) will save me enough to justify all my chickie lights

PS. We normally run 2 or 3 tvs also and half the time my kids walk away and leave them on. I have come home and found that one has been on ALL DAY LONG while kids were at school and me and the DW were at work

We have become a wasteful generation.

 

[Jess N Jeff]

I Live in National City and just had SDG&E try and REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM me royally. They had been "estimating" my bill for the last 7 months because there were vine trendles hanging infront of the metor. All of a sudden I got a $700 bill because they said they were charging me too low. After pitching a fit....I found out it was all estimation, not actual reading of the metor. I told them to come out and read my bill....then we would talk about my paying the correct bill. They ended up owing me $254 because they overestimates my summertime usage. I had an incubator and heatlamps going the entire spring and summer.

Call them and ask if they did actual readings or if they were "estimating" your usage. If its estimating, have them come out and do a reading of the metor. By local law, they can't tell you no, so if they try....tell them DO IT NOW!!!

GRRRRRRR.....Good luck!!!!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I can see the difference in our bill when the incubators and heat lamps are going.

Steve in NC

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

the only time we use a heat lamp is if we put younger birds outside in a covered run in the cooler months.....we use 90W bulbs in the basement and sheds.

 

[Laurelm]

Well thank you for all the feedback - I am going to check with my electric company because my bill just keeps going up and I have been running 5 incubators and heat for 2 1/2 months.

I about fell over ( but I was sitting down) when I saw a $300.00 bill! It is usually $140.00 but up in the summer due to AC although we try to grin & bear the heat...........

Someone asked why I have so many heat lamps - well because I hatch so many chicks with diffferent birthdays!

My indoor brooders and just rabbit cages so not too big - so maybe I could try a smaller heat lamp - in fact I will.

In the mean time I'll deal with SDG&E and hiding the bill from my husband!! He'll for sure blame my birds........he doesn't seem to understand how cute chicks are!!