How Much will it Cost to Run my Light?

[thinkerr]

they might not be as green as they're made out to be but you cant argue they aren't green?

is it more green to have an electric car or a gas car? are you suggesting we give up on green technology because we haven't perfected it in only 30 years? new solar cells are being created every couple months and with the creation of carbon nano tubes we might have hit the mother load of maximum efficiency. but to create them on a production level will take time to develop. were in the adolescence of green technology it can only get better where as gas and coal are only making things worse (economy and ecosystem wise)

 

[missbx]

Here is an explination to help you figure out your own usage...
I found the formula... this assumes $0.12 per KW hour price... (If you pay a different amount change the formula below)

Explination = Watts used by device (a 400 watts HPS) X hours used over the course of a month = total watt hours
Example = 400 watts x 24 hours/day x 30.5 days/month = 292,800 Total Watt-hours

Explination = now you have to convert Wh (watt hours) to kWh (kilowatt hours) Wh / 1000 = kWh
Example = 292,800 Wh / 1000 Wh = 293 kWh

Explination = now take you kWH and multiply it by the price you pay your electric provider
Eample = 293 kWh x 12¢/kWh = $35.16/mo.; $422/yr.

When you buy electricity they charge you by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). When you use 1000 watts for 1 hour, that's a kilowatt-hour.

Device                 wattage    Time used  kWh      Cost
HPS                     400 watts   1 hour     .4kWh   $.05
HPS                     400 watts  24 hours   9.6kWh  $1.15
HPS                     400 watts 365 hours 146kWh   $17.52   12/12 for a month
HPS                     400 watts 730 hours 293kWh   $35.16   24x7 for a month
HPS                    1000 watts   1 hour    1kWh     $.12
HPS                    1000 watts  24 hours  24kWh    $2.88
HPS                    1000 watts 365 hours 365kWh   $43.80   12/12 for a month
HPS                    1000 watts 730 hours 730kWh   $87.60   24x7 for a month
small oscillating fan     8 watts   1 hour   0.008kWh  $.00096
small oscillating fan     8 watts  24 hours  0.192kWh  $.02
small oscillating fan     8 watts 730 hours  0.008kWh  $.70
6" Ecoplus inline fan   135 watts   1 hour   0.135kWh  $.0162
6" Ecoplus inline fan   135 watts  24 hours  3.24kWh   $.39
6" Ecoplus inline fan   135 watts 730 hours 98.55kWh $11.83

other examples for various items and hours used below...
medium window-unit AC  1000 watts   1 hour   1kWh      $.12
large window-unit AC   1500 watts   1 hour   1.5kWh    $.18
42" ceiling fan on low   24 watts  10 hours  0.24kWh   $.03
light bulb              100 watts 730 hours 73kWh     $8.76
CFL light bulb           25 watts 730 hours 18kWh     $2.16

Understand that a HPS may use a little more due to ballest, age of ballest and light, small amount for a timer unit... but this is so small as to not worry about.

So in my tent I have a 400 watt HPS going 12/12, an oscilating fan, the 6" inline fan (way over kill for my small 3x3 tent). The timer's usage for my light is so small I am not going to calculate it.

My total cost for the month should be an additional 30.05...

However I also have a 600 watt space heater (fan forced oscillating), but while powered on 24/7 it only uses the full 600 watts when activly heating the small 3x3x6 foot space. Obviously the amount of hours it runs in a month will be varied due to the temp. Even in this super cold month we are having I would say it only runs about 20% of the time at full, the rest of the time it just lights 3 leds and senses the temp, very small usage that I won't calculate...

So if my 600 watt heater only uses 600 watts 20% of the time during a month that would give me 146 hours (20% of 730) to calculate. so 600watts times 146hours = 87600. Divide 87600 by 1000 to get kWh = 87.6. Mutiply 87.6 * $0.12 = $10.52 for the month. Add that to my subtotal from above and it is $10.52+ $30.05 = 40.57.

,
Loch

Excellent breakdown.

Thanks!

 

[BobbyBigBuds]

24 hours is your best bet

 

[Hogdady]

24 hours is your best bet

???

 

[Mjolner]

Hi Guys,
What about LED lights, like UFO's or the bigger square ones? I know they are more expensive to buy but they use a lot less electricity and don't generate any where near the heat.

 

[dogstick]

Kwh rates run from as low as 6 cents per kwh (avg) in Wyoming to as high as almost 19 cents per kwh (avg) in Hawaii. The national avg is 9.8 cents per kwh.

over .43 KWH in HI now!

 

[BIGBADBUD]

i ran a 400wt on for 24 hr for 3 weeks and 12/12 for 8/9 weeks and i get my bills qaurterly and it cost me just over £100 sterling in the uk so wasnt that bad at all half oz coverd the bill

 

[CLOWNBOW]

ya it's $20 to $40

 

[Excited2start]

Hey Daily Pot Head. it is not going to cost you very much to run two CFL light bulbs and a fan. I dont know the exact amount you will be charged, because I don't know what your electric company charges per kilowatt hour. But I assure you it will not be enough to tip anyone off. and the electric company cannot report you for just a high energy bill. there are other factor to it, but energy use alone is not grounds for a search by the police. here is something that will help you. it is everything you are going to need to know.
How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

 

[Dumpy]

Electricity is usually billed by kWh. If you are using a 1000 watt light for an hour and your kWh rate is 5 cents then it just cost you 5 cents to run that light for an hour. if your light is 600 watts then it would cost you 3 cents to run the light for an hour. Also i could run a 200 watt lamp for 5 hours and it would cost 5 cents based on the 5 cents per kWh. There are some savings to be had if your meter is an IxE meter, not a kWh meter. If your power factor is correct ( at 1) then the IxE will run slower.This is achieved with a capacitor bank. Not so with a kWh meter though as it is part of the meters calculation. Using a cap bank on a kWh meter will only cost you money.

 

[Hogdady]

Electricity is usually billed by kWh. If you are using a 1000 watt light for an hour and your kWh rate is 5 cents then it just cost you 5 cents to run that light for an hour. if your light is 600 watts then it would cost you 3 cents to run the light for an hour. Also i could run a 200 watt lamp for 5 hours and it would cost 5 cents based on the 5 cents per kWh. There are some savings to be had if your meter is an IxE meter, not a kWh meter. If your power factor is correct ( at 1) then the IxE will run slower.This is achieved with a capacitor bank. Not so with a kWh meter though as it is part of the meters calculation. Using a cap bank on a kWh meter will only cost you money.

There would be no savings in energy costs in kVAh metering vs kWh metering unless your power factor is less than 1. In fact, where kVAh metering is in use, there is often a power factor penalty imposed by the utility provider to make up for inductive load losses. If you had high inductive loads, and were only being charged for kVAh, you would pay less than kWh charges. However, most power consumed in gardening is resistive, not reactive.

 

[top doc]

4x1000w plus fans and pump= $600.00 per mo.

 

[Excited2start]

4x1000w plus fans and pump= $600.00 per mo.

So how much are you paying a kilowatt hour? because just saying 4x1000 plus fans = $600 does not make sense. Do not forget everyone does not pay the same for a kilowatt hour. it varies from state to state and even from county to county.

 

[top doc]

in california, pacific gas and eletric uses a sliding scale the more you use in a month the higher the price

 

[Hogdady]

So how much are you paying a kilowatt hour? because just saying 4x1000 plus fans = $600 does not make sense. Do not forget everyone does not pay the same for a kilowatt hour. it varies from state to state and even from county to county.

As a Pacific Graft and Extortion customer, I have become all to familiar with their rate schedule. Residential customers are billed based on a 5 tier system. The first tier is what they call your "baseline" which varies with location. The next four tiers are structured as 100-200% over baseline, 200-300%, and so on. Currently, the fifth tier is 49 cents per kwh!

 

[top doc]

thank you, its not cheap veg and flower can run over 2000.oo for power alone.

 

[geturgrowon]

how many hours of light should my plants get for vegetative growth if im using cfls?

18/6 off is good for veg but u can do 24/7 if you want but you should give you plant rest so i would go with 18/6 or 4 off

 

[flightseven]

hi, i'm lost, but need to ask what someone thinks about 250 watt cfl's cause that's what im gonna have to go with for veg and flower. the economy.
thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

[top doc]

ok here is how they charge in nor.cal

base line first48 kw hours @ o.12233 per kwh
101to130% @ 0.13907 " "
131 to 200% @ 0.29276 " "
201 to 300% @ 0.33276 " "

that is 4 x 1000w plus my household use average 700.00 per mo

 

[flightseven]

hey doc,
my actual question was what do you think about 250 watt blue n red clf's cause that's all I can afford and can accomodate heat wise at the moment. I am also supplementing the seedlings with a couple hours actual daylight outside.
thanks for your time.