GeorgeFoster
New Member
UPDATE:
After switching to T5's for vegging during 18/6, and turning off exhaust fan during dark hrs in the flower room and shutting down PC while not in use, our bill has dropped approx $60 over a 2 month billing cycle.
Ways to reduce your electrical bill - Grow and live smarter
- Thread starter Icemud
- Start date
UPDATE:
After switching to T5's for vegging during 18/6, and turning off exhaust fan during dark hrs in the flower room and shutting down PC while not in use, our bill has dropped approx $60 over a 2 month billing cycle.
Re: Ways to reduce your electrical bill.... Grow and live smarter.
What's this Gas Lamp routine? Sounds interesting.
What's this Gas Lamp routine? Sounds interesting.
Governmentchz
Well-Known Member
This is an interesting topic and one that should be relevant to all people all the time. 
As for myself, I have two central heating/cooling units and last year I replaced both units. My electric bills were averaging ~$400/mo. After changing them out, I'm averaging ~$250/mo. Now, I'm not saying everyone should go out and change their central units. What I AM saying is, if there are electricity-guzzlers in your house that are ready for replacement, it might be beneficial to go ahead and do it. When extrapolated, in simple terms, these units will pay for themselves in 2 years without making any additional changes. I'm also changing my hot water heater next week and will have a good idea in a couple months what kind of positive impact that has.
Obviously in newer homes this may be moot, but my home was built in 1979 and these appliances don't last forever.
As for myself, I have two central heating/cooling units and last year I replaced both units. My electric bills were averaging ~$400/mo. After changing them out, I'm averaging ~$250/mo. Now, I'm not saying everyone should go out and change their central units. What I AM saying is, if there are electricity-guzzlers in your house that are ready for replacement, it might be beneficial to go ahead and do it. When extrapolated, in simple terms, these units will pay for themselves in 2 years without making any additional changes. I'm also changing my hot water heater next week and will have a good idea in a couple months what kind of positive impact that has.
Obviously in newer homes this may be moot, but my home was built in 1979 and these appliances don't last forever.
Light movers. I was able to reduce my lights from 1000w to 600w without much noticeable reduction in yield. I was able to lower my light and increase my footprint and overlighting. Single best investment in my room.
CO2. PPM 1400 CO2 can increase your yield by ~ 30% with very few watts. 2nd best investment in my room.
Inter lighting. Hanging a few CFL's on the underside of canopy can give you alot of light value for few watts. I use ~5-10% CFL watts /HPS watts. Currently i have about cfl 50w/ HPS 600w and seems to be working well. Ive been using cool whites. Also adding valuable blues for quality.
As much reflection as you can. If its not white or shiny and light it hitting it, paint it white or cover with panda film/orca/etc...
CO2. PPM 1400 CO2 can increase your yield by ~ 30% with very few watts. 2nd best investment in my room.
Inter lighting. Hanging a few CFL's on the underside of canopy can give you alot of light value for few watts. I use ~5-10% CFL watts /HPS watts. Currently i have about cfl 50w/ HPS 600w and seems to be working well. Ive been using cool whites. Also adding valuable blues for quality.
As much reflection as you can. If its not white or shiny and light it hitting it, paint it white or cover with panda film/orca/etc...
Its important to know what you are drawing. Cant fix it if you dont know its broken.
This kind of threads makes me think that I should stop growing autos.
They have a shorter life span, so may be autos allow two sessions for 1 session of regular/feminized.... but at the end it is at least 18/6 per day during the whole sessions, and I have two rooms (leds), and I begin my third session, meaning that I've been running the tents full power since september that's already 6 month and I will end the year with 8 to 9 month of 20/4 and 18/6. I intend to add 300/500W leds to one of the tent.
The difference is the yields of autos vs regular/feminized (scrogs etc).
What do you think ? are autos necessarily more power consuming than Regular/feminized and - in the view of saving power -would you recommend or discourage growing autos over regular/feminized ?
Thanks !
They have a shorter life span, so may be autos allow two sessions for 1 session of regular/feminized.... but at the end it is at least 18/6 per day during the whole sessions, and I have two rooms (leds), and I begin my third session, meaning that I've been running the tents full power since september that's already 6 month and I will end the year with 8 to 9 month of 20/4 and 18/6. I intend to add 300/500W leds to one of the tent.
The difference is the yields of autos vs regular/feminized (scrogs etc).
What do you think ? are autos necessarily more power consuming than Regular/feminized and - in the view of saving power -would you recommend or discourage growing autos over regular/feminized ?
Thanks !
I am just starting to run Autos, I have 3 on 20/4 light schedule with one 400W Mars Hydro LED.
I think one of the factors I need to consider is how long I keep my photo (regular) plants in veg before I flip to 12/12 in addition to what point I decide the photo girls need to come down based on maturity levels that I'm looking for. Some people keep them in veg much longer than others. That's something you need to work out the numbers on.
Keeping a log of your daily electric consumption might be a good thing to do during the grow. Notes on what changes or lights added on what day, maybe some kind of spread sheet.
I log my electric use quite often to see what I'm using, and my power company sends me updates monthly on what my usage was via email.
Canresearcher
Well-Known Member
Simply put this is the best information regarding price point for indoor growing I have seen in a very long while.
Nicely condensed!
Nicely condensed!
luckiestman13
New Member
Plants don't absorb light from underneath. This is wasted electricity.
Hi, I did not have much to do this week end so I tried to make a table calculating the cost ofelectricity.
For this I took a scenario which assumes that the auto and the feminized both take 3 month from seed to crop. We know that feminized can take a few weeks more sometimes, so it depends on strains.
Auto: 1 single room for veg and bloom
Fem: 2 rooms: 1 for veg, another for bloom
The price is based on 18h/day = 100 ( % of the price: ie, 12h=67% and 24h=133%)
The feminized vegs for 1 month and flower for 2 months, just like the auto.
There are 3 scenarios:
- 1) single grow session:
- 2) alternate economy= the grower minimizes the number of veg. he vegs new plants only when the previous grow is about to finish
- 3) perpetual grow = the veg and bloom room both work all the time
So, it appears that, in pure terms of electrical bill, the autos will always be expensive EXCEPT in the case of a perpetual grow (sceario 3). Of course, it *might* also be more economic if you compare with feminized that take 4 months to grow.
Also, the scenarios consider that the fem and the auto give the same yield and quality, which is not always the case, and there are many other elements to consider beyond the simple cost of electricity.
For exemple in my case, any of the auto or fem are good to grow because I will grow a certain number of plants, that will give a certain weight, that is above the cost of the invetment and electricty, which means that I always save compared to buying the final product on the market. SO the amount of weed one uses everymonth is also important, if not the only element to consider at the end of the day
Here is the table.
The total of the 3rd scenario, which is hidden by the 420 logo, is 1737 .
For this I took a scenario which assumes that the auto and the feminized both take 3 month from seed to crop. We know that feminized can take a few weeks more sometimes, so it depends on strains.
Auto: 1 single room for veg and bloom
Fem: 2 rooms: 1 for veg, another for bloom
The price is based on 18h/day = 100 ( % of the price: ie, 12h=67% and 24h=133%)
The feminized vegs for 1 month and flower for 2 months, just like the auto.
There are 3 scenarios:
- 1) single grow session:
- 2) alternate economy= the grower minimizes the number of veg. he vegs new plants only when the previous grow is about to finish
- 3) perpetual grow = the veg and bloom room both work all the time
So, it appears that, in pure terms of electrical bill, the autos will always be expensive EXCEPT in the case of a perpetual grow (sceario 3). Of course, it *might* also be more economic if you compare with feminized that take 4 months to grow.
Also, the scenarios consider that the fem and the auto give the same yield and quality, which is not always the case, and there are many other elements to consider beyond the simple cost of electricity.
For exemple in my case, any of the auto or fem are good to grow because I will grow a certain number of plants, that will give a certain weight, that is above the cost of the invetment and electricty, which means that I always save compared to buying the final product on the market. SO the amount of weed one uses everymonth is also important, if not the only element to consider at the end of the day
Here is the table.
The total of the 3rd scenario, which is hidden by the 420 logo, is 1737 .
For that sort of comparison to work, you'd have to have hard numbers. And you'd have to factor in yield. You'd have to ensure that both types of strains were grown in gardens that were at (or as close as humanly possible to) 100% efficiency. You'd need to do runs with many strains of each type (and several runs of each strain) instead of cherry-picking for one type or the other. You'd also have to factor in err... other factors. Such as the concept of off-/on-peak electrical rates. Some folks pay reduced rates in the evenings and overnight; they could schedule their 12-hour (flowering) light cycles to take advantage of those lower rates - but their vegetative cycles, being longer in lights-on duration, would likely require at least some on-peak usage. That might encourage shorter vegetative times - but maybe not, lol, because that would be likely to affect yield, and so it would depend on the actual numbers involved as to whether or not it would be worth it. And autoflowering strains are typically grown under lengthy enough lights-on cycles that they'd have some on-peak usage as well.
To really answer the question of "which type is more economical," you'd have to devote several years to it, have a grow space the size of a small shopping mall, or both.
And at the end of all that, you'd still have people who chose photoperiod-dependant types because they are connoisseurs who have favorite head-stash strains, people who choose to grow autoflowering types because they have extra space in their vegetative rooms and can do so without requiring more space in their flowering areas, etc.
But it'd still be an interesting study. It's too bad you couldn't get a nice six-figure government grant to do it, lol. Oh, to live in a free world...
To really answer the question of "which type is more economical," you'd have to devote several years to it, have a grow space the size of a small shopping mall, or both.
And at the end of all that, you'd still have people who chose photoperiod-dependant types because they are connoisseurs who have favorite head-stash strains, people who choose to grow autoflowering types because they have extra space in their vegetative rooms and can do so without requiring more space in their flowering areas, etc.
But it'd still be an interesting study. It's too bad you couldn't get a nice six-figure government grant to do it, lol. Oh, to live in a free world...
that's why it is in percent (%)
you do not need a mall size grow box, nor years of expericence, to compare electricity cost. Electricty cost is there whatever is the yield.
There is also the question of confort, not every one want to be in the nug of the plant of the month, and most people grow what they need even if it is not champion grade
The point is about electricty cost. and you are right, the study will remain shallow because i still did not receive the 156 grands that this study deserves ('cause it can save someone's life!) !
you do not need a mall size grow box, nor years of expericence, to compare electricity cost. Electricty cost is there whatever is the yield.
There is also the question of confort, not every one want to be in the nug of the plant of the month, and most people grow what they need even if it is not champion grade
The point is about electricty cost. and you are right, the study will remain shallow because i still did not receive the 156 grands that this study deserves ('cause it can save someone's life!) !
Mikecalderon
New Member
Hi, if you own your own home why not go solar? There companies out the were you can lease them for no money down.
onewarmguy
Well-Known Member
I'm seeing a lot of you folks swapping out or turning down you hot water tanks. I got rid of mine entirely and got an on-demand tankless hot water heating system. Cost me about $2750 but my electrical bill went down by almost $60 a month, because I wasn't paying to keep 40 gallons of water heated to 120 degrees 24/7, one other benefit, you NEVER run out of hot water. The only downside is it needs yearly maintenance flush and interior dusting which you can do yourself if you're a little handy.
That beats my solution of only running the (tank) water heater when I NEED hot water, then taking progressively colder showers the rest of the week, lol.
ALL water heaters need to be flushed, at least a little bit. For those who live in an area that has calcium/sediment in the water, I would suggest that it should be done more often than yearly. Especially if the water heater in question is an old style (tank) type - they seem to be great sediment traps. So much so that in models that were several years old that were cut open, up to several inches of hardened, built-up sediment has been observed.
With a gas water heater, the burner is on the bottom - under the sediment layer (obviously). As has been mentioned, these are not the most efficient things in the world, anyway. Imagine how much less efficient one becomes if it has to heat the relative trickle of water that has made its way down through the layer of sediment/calcium - which then boils and is forced up through that sediment to mix with and exchange its heat with the bulk of the water in the tank. "Fresh" water makes its way down through the sediment layer where it gets heated. Rinse, lather, repeat, as they say. If you are wondering why your gas water heater makes odd snap/crackle/pop noises, while your friend's is more or less silent... that is most likely the reason.
If you live in an area where you have to (or should
) use white vinegar once a month in your drip coffeepot (just run a cycle normally, only do not add coffee grounds to the filter and use vinegar in place of water - then look at all the crap that ends up on the filter!) in order to keep it functioning like a new one, well... you should be draining a few gallons of water - and a lot of sediment - from your water heater just as often. Plus, I have a theory that if one only operates that drain valve once a year, it tends to begin leaking much quicker than if it was operated more regularly, lol.And if you have an electric water heater <SHUDDERS!>, remember to replace those sacrificial anodes! They are there - and called sacrificial :rolleyes3 - for a reason. You are spending too much money heating your water with electricity as it is, lol. Do not compound the problem by trying to do it with heating elements that have been partially eaten away because your sacrifical anode no longer exists in any functional sense.
One more thing: Make sure your water heater installation has heat traps. Either those things they sell at the store... a setup where the lines come up, elbow, go a short distance, and elbow back down... or (if you are paranoid?) both. This keeps the hot water in your tank water heater from heating the water in your hot - and cold, lol - water line via convection. In "the old days," it was not terribly unusual to see one install their hot water line from the tank in such a way that there was NOT a heat trap, in order that when one turned on the hot water faucet in that upstairs bathroom, one had hot water much quicker (because the water in that line was being constantly heated). But this is a horrible money-waster! If your tank was installed by a plumber who had at least two functioning brain cells, this should not be an issue. But if you did it yourself and did not know - or stop to think about it - then it is possible. And it only takes a moment to go to your water heater and look at how the lines are where they enter/exit. Err... If this is clear as mud, just do a web search for hot water tank "heat trap" and you will see images, a Wikipedia article, et cetera.
ATrueBlackThu
New Member
Great information guys, very helpful for the paranoid grower such as myself, im gonna put these into practice as soon as I get home.
Dont use air conditioning or reverse cycle heating where you can. Get a blanket if your cold.
If possible convert cooking and heating to gas. Dont leave lights on. We have an inline gas
hot water system,cook on gas and have a gas heater we use very occaisonally.
I'm running a 315w light and a fan switched only when the lights on, on a speed controller
on its lowest setting (its winter here) Last bill was under 100 bucks for 3mths. I'm
a big power nazi though and often sit in the dark or am bumping into things looking
for stuff, but the bills are low. You get yeild between that of a 400w/600w if you
know what your doing and half the running cost.
Have to be careful running the fan switched though depending on setup and if youre paranoid
about smell or have mould/moisture issues.
If possible convert cooking and heating to gas. Dont leave lights on. We have an inline gas
hot water system,cook on gas and have a gas heater we use very occaisonally.
I'm running a 315w light and a fan switched only when the lights on, on a speed controller
on its lowest setting (its winter here) Last bill was under 100 bucks for 3mths. I'm
a big power nazi though and often sit in the dark or am bumping into things looking
for stuff, but the bills are low. You get yeild between that of a 400w/600w if you
know what your doing and half the running cost.
Have to be careful running the fan switched though depending on setup and if youre paranoid
about smell or have mould/moisture issues.
luckiestman13
New Member
Why not just make more money so a $200 electric bill doesn't matter? Then your not bumping into things in the dark. Lmao
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