Security light cost?

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 08:11 AM

We have one of those sodium vapor lights over the barn door that illuminates our driveway and a couple of months ago we decided to turn it off. WOW is my driveway dark now.

Anyway, the point of the thread is the cost. HOLY CRAP!

These are my bills-

June - $113
July - $121
August - $114 (we turned off the light sometime in August)
Sept - $71
Oct - $53

I'm having a difficult time believing that light cost us that much!

Anybody have any experience with the operating cost of those lights?

**freebs** · 10-19-2010, 08:20 AM

I really dont know i run 3 of them plus all my other electrical items and my bill that i paid yesterday was $330~

**Ceashels** · 10-19-2010, 08:37 AM

Did that drop coincide with less use of an air conditioner in the house?

**Libby** · 10-19-2010, 08:50 AM

I don't think I've ever seen one of those lights before...we have the regular motion detector light with the two 100w bulbs. My dad wanted ours set to extra sensitive and had DF set the limit/range for it but the prob with that is that you could be sitting in my driveway in the car moving your arms about and it won't detect you yet if you drive by slow enough on the road past the house, it turns on. Go figure LOL Ours is constantly turning on and off from 6pm - 1am be it the neighbours setting it off, the neighbours cat frolicking or cars passing by. I don't think it really added too much to our hydro bill though...there wasn't a significant spike when I look at it online from the month we had it installed and the previous month where we had it turned off.

Russ - are you afraid of the dark?

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Ceashels

Did that drop coincide with less use of an air conditioner in the house?

Somewhat....

June A/C was $10
July A/C was $29
August A/C was $29
Sept A/C was $10
Oct A/C $2.25

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Libby

I don't think I've ever seen one of those lights before...we have the regular motion detector light with the two 100w bulbs. My dad wanted ours set to extra sensitive and had DF set the limit/range for it but the prob with that is that you could be sitting in my driveway in the car moving your arms about and it won't detect you yet if you drive by slow enough on the road past the house, it turns on. Go figure LOL Ours is constantly turning on and off from 6pm - 1am be it the neighbours setting it off, the neighbours cat frolicking or cars passing by. I don't think it really added too much to our hydro bill though...there wasn't a significant spike when I look at it online from the month we had it installed and the previous month where we had it turned off.

Russ - are you afraid of the dark?

I am considering the MD lights but... We have a lot of critters running around and that thing will be going on and off all night!

Not afraid of the dark, afraid of the low lifes in the area breaking into the barns.

**savvy_sniper** · 10-19-2010, 09:39 AM

Russ, some of the difference is the A/C. I would compare last years bills to this years on a monthly basis and see what that shows you.

**HappyMama** · 10-19-2010, 09:45 AM

I have one in my yard and it is 5.00 a month. Not sure what kind it is though, it was installed by utility company for previous owners.

**druthb00** · 10-19-2010, 09:53 AM

I just looked up typical wattage on them and it looks like most of them are around 100 to 175 watts; really not too awful. I'm sure it saved you a few bucks, but it definitely wouldn't cut your bill in half.

I've got this stupid coffee maker (that is being replaced as soon as UPS gets here today

) It's a Bunn and has one of those hot water tanks on it. You're supposed to leave the darn thing on indefinitely to keep the water in the tank hot at all times, so you can have a pot of coffee in 3 minutes when you pour cold water in. It displaces the hot water and the cycle continues....Anyway, I just turn it on for 15 minutes before I want coffee rather than leave it on 24/7. The two times I've accidentally left it on for a full week, our electric bill went up by about $15

I took out manual and low and behold, the stupid thing says 800W !! So, other than me ranting about this POS... I'm just saying, your sodium vapor light probably only partially contributed, but I bet your A/C had more to do with it. From what my family in Pontiac and Alpena said, it was frickin' hot in MI this year.

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Russ

Somewhat....

June A/C was $10
July A/C was $29
August A/C was $29
Sept A/C was $10
Oct A/C $2.25

My highest A/C bill was $30. So assuming no A/C my highest elec bill for the summer would have been $91. Still a far cry from the current bill of $53.

**druthb00** · 10-19-2010, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by Russ

My highest A/C bill was $30. So assuming no A/C my highest elec bill for the summer would have been $91. Still a far cry from the current bill of $53.

Ah, I missed that post. Well....I did see bulbs as high as 400W, any idea what yours is?

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 10:14 AM

Off hand, no..

**fairydana** · 10-19-2010, 10:17 AM

Holy Cow Russ!! I am shocked over your utility bill!! I would love, love, love to pay that bill as opposed to my own.

That is a huge difference from not having that light on. I would for sure replace it with something else for when you do need some light out there.

**Russ** · 10-19-2010, 10:21 AM

In case anyone is curious...
Our stove,furnace and hot water heater are all gas.

**druthb00** · 10-19-2010, 10:22 AM

Well I just calculated out what my stupid coffee maker did to me when it was on 24/7 for approx. 7 days.

800W = .8Kwh

24 hrs X 7 days = 168 hrs....so, 168X.8 = 134.4Kwh @ 11.5c/Kwh is $15.45

That's about what my bill went up by, so that makes complete sense to me. But man, even if your bulb was 400W, considering it was on maybe, what, 10 hrs a day? (I confess I don't really know how they work)...it still just doesn't add up to your bill being that much lower. Providing I'm calculating this all correctly anyway....I'm no electrician

On the other hand....at least we're trying to figure out why its LOWER instead of the other way around. Yay for lower electric bills! lol...