[GortWillSaveUs]

I've had my HTPC and unRaid running for a full month now. The unRaid has been running 24/7

My electric bill seems to reflect this new draw of resources.
Apparently, it seems to cost ~$30 to keep the unRaid on all the time.
Being that the unRaid only gets used for a few hours per day,..I'm beginning to think about a power down plan.

I am using a mobo from 2003 that a dual-opteron cpu with 2 huge cpu fans. I also left the AGP video card plugged in, just in case I needed to troubleshoot.
I am looking to get a new mobo and sempron cpu in the near future.
I believe I can remove one of the cpus (?), the video card, and 2G of the total 4G of ram I have installed. As well as unplug some of the case fans. (as long as temps stay cool)

The other plan calls for me to shutdown unRaid when not in use.
This seems to be the plan since I really don't need unRaid running 20 hours a day.

Did anyone else experience an electric bill surprise their first month??

[Beer40oz]

$12 bucks here....

[TugboatBill]

No surprises here, but a 4.5KW photovoltaic array on the roof doesn't hurt.

[wsume99]

My server idles at ~40w. If you assume $.11/kWHr (which is about the US average) that equates to ~$40/year. If I were you I'd invest in a kill-a-watt meter before you make any changes. I would certainly think that you would see much less power use from a newer system. One of the best chips for a cheap, low power unraid server is the intel celeron G530.

[GortWillSaveUs]

My server idles at ~40w. If you assume $.11/kWHr (which is about the US average) that equates to ~$40/year. If I were you I'd invest in a kill-a-watt meter before you make any changes. I would certainly think that you would see much less power use from a newer system. One of the best chips for a cheap, low power unraid server is the intel celeron G530.

I'll definitely have to look into buying one.
I may just be assuming that the unRaid was the problem, when it might have been my dog running the air conditioner all day while I'm at work.

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No surprises here, but a 4.5KW photovoltaic array on the roof doesn't hurt.

A lot of people around here are looking into solar. So it's a really great idea.

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Hmmmm,..this is looking more and more feasible: Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit $237.96

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and here's a more powerful model: Sunforce 37126 260W Crystalline Solar Kit $902.07


Something to think about for sure!

[poofyhairguy]

What is your PSU? An efficient PSU can make a difference.

[DJ_Izumi]

$30 a month just for a server is a remarkably high cost and it wouldn't make sense. It's likely a combination of factors. You should also look at your electrical bills from a year ago, maybe you saw similar increases last year during the same season changes.

[Beer40oz]

I may be wrong at $12 also.... looked at my bills.... maybe $3.00 a month.... hard to say... but it's not much.

[GortWillSaveUs]

What is your PSU? An efficient PSU can make a difference.

It's a Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

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$30 a month just for a server is a remarkably high cost and it wouldn't make sense. It's likely a combination of factors. You should also look at your electrical bills from a year ago, maybe you saw similar increases last year during the same season changes.

You're probably right, and yes, I will be pulling my bills from last year to see if they're around the same amount.
I suppose I've never learned that you can't assume anything.

[Tycho91]

Why not switch to WHS v1? Can run on 1gb, no graphics card and can use LightsOut for powermanagement?

[GortWillSaveUs]

A co-worker was able to lend me his Kill-a-Watt meter.
And here are the results:

With the server running and all 5 HDs spun up,..it pulls 175W
With all drives spun down, it drops to 143W

So according to the math where 1 Watt is about $1 per year,....175/12 = $14.58 per month
Of course that assuming constant 175W

With drives spun down 143/12 = 11.92 per month

While this may not break the bank,..in today's economy, I watch my budget very carefully.
If you've seen teenage boys eat, you know what I mean, and I have 2 of them.

I suppose my 2003 MOBO doesn't help,..since it has dual CPU's
I was planning on upgrading the MOBO and RAM anyway because I only have 4 SATA connections.

So,..once I replace these parts,..I'll run this test again and hopefully see a big improvement.

[GortWillSaveUs]

Just tested my HTPC using an A6-3500

Take a guess,.......36W once powered up and stationary.

Of course more wattage would be used once DVDs are played and such, but wow, 36W

[Beer40oz]

Just tested my HTPC using an A6-3500

Take a guess,.......36W once powered up and stationary.

Of course more wattage would be used once DVDs are played and such, but wow, 36W

LOL we all knew that.....

[GortWillSaveUs]

This is the meter that my co-worker let me borrow: P3 International P4480 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor with Electronic Graphic Timer $27.27



This worked awesomely and I'll be picking up my own, so I can return this one.

[Dougie Fresh]

These are my A6-PACK readings (64GB SSD/4GB RAM):