WhitePlainsNY Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 It seems that we've all been asked at one time or another, "How much does your light display cost you?" I thought I'd take a stab at actually calculating it.I've taken the watts used result from Rick Williams' Controller Calculator and added my local electrical supplier's (conEdison) costs to calculate the expense. Take a look and see if my worksheet's formulas are correct.The Excel worksheet can be found here:http://www.nychristmaslights.com/test/test.htmThanks!Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 We ran 300+ channels last year, about 40,000 lights, half incan and half LED roughly, and it cost about 40 bucks from Thanksgiving to New Year's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffF Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 We had ~60,000 incandescent lights last year and our December bill was $50-$60 more than the previous year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Its really impossible to calculate the cost of operating a display unless you have it on a dedicated meter.The spread sheet is great, thanks to Rick. But, that's with everything on at 100%.I run all controllers at 86% and depending on the song, not all lights are on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwaldrep Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I'm thinking, running a kill-a-watt on each circuit would be the only true way.I may run a kill-a-watt on a circuit per night, and then be able to add each night/circuit up and you would be able to figure it out.I'm running 8 15amp circuits, so that will take 8 nights, but the problem may come from the 2 20amp circuits I have 1 controller plugged into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitePlainsNY Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 Mountainwxman wrote: Its really impossible to calculate the cost of operating a display unless you have it on a dedicated meter.The spread sheet is great, thanks to Rick. But, that's with everything on at 100%.I run all controllers at 86% and depending on the song, not all lights are on.Of course most of us never have our lights on all the time but it's interesting to see what the cost would be if they were. Going from a static display and knowing what your display costs you is a nice incentive to keep sequencing. Knowing that you'll be below the maximum should make anyone happy. It's also satisfying to tell a tree-hugger that your display costs less than (fill in the blank) a day so they can stop complaining that you're the one responsible for the utility company building another power plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgardner518 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Mountainwxman wrote: Its really impossible to calculate the cost of operating a display unless you have it on a dedicated meter.The spread sheet is great, thanks to Rick. But, that's with everything on at 100%.I run all controllers at 86% and depending on the song, not all lights are on.Whats the reason, someone would run their display at 86% in stead of 100%? Wouldn't you want it to be bright? Or am I confusing the 86%? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 ny_yankee_25 wrote:Mountainwxman wrote: Its really impossible to calculate the cost of operating a display unless you have it on a dedicated meter.The spread sheet is great, thanks to Rick. But, that's with everything on at 100%.I run all controllers at 86% and depending on the song, not all lights are on.Whats the reason, someone would run their display at 86% in stead of 100%? Wouldn't you want it to be bright? Or am I confusing the 86%?If you can tell me the difference between 86% and 100% with your eyes, you're not from this world.Bulbs last longer and some power savings are in my pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 Mountainwxman wrote: ny_yankee_25 wrote:Mountainwxman wrote: Its really impossible to calculate the cost of operating a display unless you have it on a dedicated meter.The spread sheet is great, thanks to Rick. But, that's with everything on at 100%.I run all controllers at 86% and depending on the song, not all lights are on.Whats the reason, someone would run their display at 86% in stead of 100%? Wouldn't you want it to be bright? Or am I confusing the 86%?If you can tell me the difference between 86% and 100% with your eyes, you're not from this world.Bulbs last longer and some power savings are in my pocket.How did you arrive at 86% as being the best top end limit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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