Inspired in part by MMMs recent post about electricity consumption I decided to re-search UTMT Towers in search of any excessive drains on power in an effort to save some money/waste. In the back of my mind there was something that I’ve been meaning to take a look at for some time….
When we moved house 4 years ago we inherited a koi pond complete with 9 large koi/carp/goldfish. The previous owner had clearly taken the “good” with him and left us a selection of “bad” and “ugly” (a couple of koi, a couple of mongrels, a ghost carp and a big goldfish). As a result of this generosity, on moving in day instead of cracking the champagne I had to hot foot it down to the pet shop to buy some fish food.
Whoever built the pond put a lot of effort in to it. As well as a pump there is a large four chamber filtration system as well as a UV light to help keep the water clean and algae free (all hidden beyond the far wall in the picture). In order to prevent fishageddon a couple of summers ago I also ended up adding an air pump to supplement the system, improve movement of the water and oxygen levels in an attempt to keep the fish healthy.
After talking about it for about 3 years I finally sat down last night and worked out exactly what the running costs of this system is. The results were quite a shock…
£423 / year !
Here’s a breakdown of the costs:
- Main pump: 0.3kW = £266 / year1
- UV Light: 40watts = £36 / year
- Air pump: 35watts = £31 / year
- Food: £40 / year
- Misc (Anti algae chemicals, treatments etc) : £50 / year
I’m highly embarrassed that I haven’t worked this out before, particularly as I am a long way from being a koi lover. I view the pond as a chore of maintenance rather than a hobby of pleasure.
Non Monetary Cost
Of course the price of living with fish shouldn’t just be measured in pounds and pence. First of all fish need feeding, so once a day in winter and twice a day in summer I trek to the bottom of the garden to feed my little fishy friends.
During the summer the four chamber filtration system needs cleaning out at least once a week which involves a good half hour of getting wet and stinky.
Then every six months or so the UV bulb needs replacing which, because of the way the unit has been fitted, is a complete phaff and never fails to raise a few swear words.
Then there is the occasional disaster. Fish gulping at the surface, black spots appearing on gills, pumps making worrying noises, who’s going to feed them when you go away? Out of desperation I found myself joining a koi forum in search of answers to some of these concerns.
And what for?
In all honesty we get very little pleasure form these fish, certainly not enough to warrant all of this attention and significant financial resource. Given the high sides of the pond (presumably required to keep the herons hungry) even when sitting on the patio next to it you can’t exactly sit and watch the fish as you sip on your gin and tonic without leaning over the raised sides.
Fish n Chips Anyone?
So it has been decided that the fish will be sold (along with the various pumps, filters, lights etc) and their home is to be converted into the pimpest raised vegetable bed in the East of England.
Given that the pond is around 4 feet deep, I plan to break up the concrete base to aid drainage then half fill with a mix of hardcore (sourced form freecycle), gravel then topsoil. I have no intention of growing championship length carrots) so there’s certainly no need to fill the entire thing with soil.
To help with watering I’ll invest some of the sale proceeds into drip/soak hoses that I will run through the bed which will be connected to a couple of existing water buts situated nearby. This will significantly reduce time spent manually watering the bed in the summer months and help increase yields.
Being a veggie household and always striving to eat healthily, the plan is to grow a good supply of fresh vegetables, particularly ones that yield well that we can’t source cheap locally. Off the top of my head we’ll focus on:
- Leeks
- Courgettes
- Beets
- Salad (Lettuce, rocket, radish etc)
- Chard, Kale & Spinach
- Garlic
- Cabbage
- Beans
We currently grow vast amounts of tomatoes, chillies, cucumbers and aubergines using these excellent self watering pots under glass, so a good raised bed should significantly increase the range and quantity of vegetables we grow.
So the end result should be annual savings of around £400 per year as well as a supply of fresh vegetables throughout a good part of the year. Perhaps more importantly any maintenance time will be spent on a hobby rather than a chore.
I only wish we’d done it sooner….
Notes:
1We’re on an Economy 7 electricity tariff which means we pay less for electricity at night. As a result the 10.14 p/kWh is a blended rate.
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