Help with staying low on electric usage radar

[Herbshuttles]

Hey guys, so to start off i'm growing 15 plants in 7gallon pots , all inside of a 10X10 ft growing tent (100 sq ft). I'll have the plants in a section under five 300W LED lights (spaced out evenly of course). Eventually I definitely want to expand however I'm concerned with getting detected via my electricity usage. Five 300w lights = 1500w regardless of them being Led. Divide that by 1000 to get kilowatt (1.5) and then multiply that by 18 hours (avg use) and you get 27 kWh a day. Multiply that by 30 for monthly usage and you have 810 kWh a month. That's already over average for residential homes in my state without even taking the fan into account. I don't plan on using any other electricity outside of my grow. What do you guys do to stay undetected /lower your usage / grow more plants while using low electricity ? This is definitely something I need to give thought and attention to; none of this would be worth being detected !
Appreciate any help !!!

Edited in: I read about the gas lamp method, I personally don't know if I trust it and wouldn't use it. So asides that

 

[HigherTheHigh]

if your paying your electric bills on time every month i dont think they'd mind, i run 3 600w hps and a 300w cfl light, i think its if you dont pay or give odd readings

 

[Herbshuttles]

Oh dope, so that's more wattage than me. Definitely feel more comfortable knowing you got it running smooth. And wouldn't the plant light cycle give odd readings or are you referring to something else? I have no problem paying the billls on time. I just didn't wanna go past any limit that would get me looked at

 

[HigherTheHigh]

i run the cfl constant at 18/6 for cuttings and seedlings, then when i put cuttings or seedlings in under the 600w hps light they stay 18/6 for up to 2 weeks then straight to 12/12 so its pretty much the same every quarter, if you live in a state where its still illegal you could always say your running 2 computers with 800w power supplies.

but like i said if you pay they wont mind, at the end of the day your earning them money.

i hope this helps.

 

[Herbshuttles]

i run the cfl constant at 18/6 for cuttings and seedlings, then when i put cuttings or seedlings in under the 600w hps light they stay 18/6 for up to 2 weeks then straight to 12/12 so its pretty much the same every quarter, if you live in a state where its still illegal you could always say your running 2 computers with 800w power supplies.

but like i said if you pay they wont mind, at the end of the day your earning them money.

i hope this helps.

Definitely helps, thanks brother! Yeah it's illegal here so I definitely want to stay undetected.

 

[Why Doe]

15 plants? Lmfao your gonna get busted. And 5 tiny 350w lights is no where near enough lights for 15 plants...

 

[Mayne]

I agree with Why Doe,

When they read your meter, they will compare usage with houses around you. If your 50% over average, it raises a red flag, and the meter guy has to tell on you.

you need about 3,000 REAL watts for that size grow

 

[Why Doe]

Not including everything else you need to grow.. fans, carbon filters, humidifier, dehumidifier, ac or heat to keep the temp right, ect ect

 

[NunyaBis]

Pick up a bunch of old crappy window mount air conditioners at a pawn shop or junk yard or something, but don't plug em in. That way in the unlikely event anyone bothers to ask, you can tell them you installed AC, then tell them to F off. Space heaters would fulfill the same role in winter.

 

[Why Doe]

Honestly I'd be more worried about somebody tracking my internet searches lol

 

[dr.h00k]

There are a number of people that run 16/8 rather than the standard 18/6 with no difference in yield(a little savings there)...also, if you are not already, run your lights as much as you can in off peak hours(here it is 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.)...cheerz...h00k...

 

[Why Doe]

There are a number of people that run 16/8 rather than the standard 18/6 with no difference in yield(a little savings there)...also, if you are not already, run your lights as much as you can in off peak hours(here it is 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.)...cheerz...h00k...

wouldn't that be more obvious? Seems counterintuitive.. having that much power being drawn in the middle of the night when most people would be sleeping.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

15 plants? Lmfao your gonna get busted. And 5 tiny 350w lights is no where near enough lights for 15 plants...

i grow 16 plants at a time with only 1800 watts and i get great yields with only up to 5 weeks veg.

 

[dr.h00k]

I don't believe they monitor when you use power...just how much...cheerz...h00k...

 

[Why Doe]

i grow 16 plants at a time with only 1800 watts and i get great yields with only up to 5 weeks veg.

defiantly interesting. What strain? And what are we talking about yield per plant?

 

[HigherTheHigh]

like i said if your paying on time they wont be bothered, they arent going to turn down money.

all electric companies are robbing us the price they charge.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

i always grow northern lights, vegged for 3-5 weeks and each plant always yield around the same.

 

[Why Doe]

i always grow northern lights, vegged for 3-5 weeks and each plant always yield around the same.

around the same like.... 1 oz per plant?

 

[HigherTheHigh]

no i tend to yield 3-5 oz per plant.

 

[Why Doe]

no i tend to yield 3-5 oz per plant.

Exactly that's really low, you could have half the plants with proper lighting and get the same amount probably way more.