Electric Bill Has Me Concerned

[justjr27]

Ok so what I was planning on using more lights for my rooms but that is out of the ? b/c i just got me bill today and it was outragous 415 dollars for a month which has me freaky out b/c my house is only a 2 bedroom. All I had Running was 3 1000 watt lights at 12/12 and 1 1000 watt light at 20/4 and two 5,000 btu a/c's at the same time as the lights.So Adding 4 more lights is out of the question for sure.





So my Question is Can I get at least 2 Oz per plant On Plants Grown from Rooted Clones in Aeroponic Chamber Vegged for 56 days under one 1000 watt light on a 18/6 cycle and then flowered under three 1000 watt lights with a good grow room setup.



I know that it is hard to determine yield.

 

[Weed420]

Ok so what I was planning on using more lights for my rooms but that is out of the ? b/c i just got me bill today and it was outragous 415 dollars for a month which has me freaky out b/c my house is only a 2 bedroom. All I had Running was 3 1000 watt lights at 12/12 and 1 1000 watt light at 20/4 and two 5,000 btu a/c's at the same time as the lights.So Adding 4 more lights is out of the question for sure.





So my Question is Can I get at least 2 Oz per plant On Plants Grown from Rooted Clones in Aeroponic Chamber Vegged for 56 days under one 1000 watt light on a 18/6 cycle and then flowered under three 1000 watt lights with a good grow room setup.



I know that it is hard to determine yield.

Swap those 1000's for 600's. That will save a lot. And 600's are more efficient anyway and produce a lot less heat. Look into one or possibly 2 600's with a light mover. One 600 can cover approximately 10 plants and as long as you don't run into nute or heat problems will easily get you 2 ounces cured per plant.
I got investigated by the power company because my elect bill went from $45 to $105 a month.lol SO if I was you I would cut back some.

 

[McBudz]

Swap those 1000's for 600's. That will save a lot. And 600's are more efficient anyway and produce a lot less heat. Look into one or possibly 2 600's with a light mover. One 600 can cover approximately 10 plants and as long as you don't run into nute or heat problems will easily get you 2 ounces cured per plant.
I got investigated by the power company because my elect bill went from $45 to $105 a month.lol SO if I was you I would cut back some.

describe "investigated"?

 

[Damian Thorn]

Ok so what I was planning on using more lights for my rooms but that is out of the ? b/c i just got me bill today and it was outragous 415 dollars for a month which has me freaky out b/c my house is only a 2 bedroom. All I had Running was 3 1000 watt lights at 12/12 and 1 1000 watt light at 20/4 and two 5,000 btu a/c's at the same time as the lights.So Adding 4 more lights is out of the question for sure.





So my Question is Can I get at least 2 Oz per plant On Plants Grown from Rooted Clones in Aeroponic Chamber Vegged for 56 days under one 1000 watt light on a 18/6 cycle and then flowered under three 1000 watt lights with a good grow room setup.



I know that it is hard to determine yield.

well your first problem is vegging for 56 days? you serous? and then having a 1000 watt doing it..that like having two more 1000 watts runing...u need ot be vegging up t5s or at the very least one 400 then flower....but you should only be needing to veg for about a week or two tops...any more and your wasting time...at 36 plants a 1000 watt my boy vegges his silver haze for 4 days then flowers for 56...you need to be doing that..not vegging for 56 days thats just wastfull..time and money... plus the ac...get vents or the coolboxs..or at least a dehumidifier that will cut down on power..

 

[Smokeyjoe]

^

 

[DrTentgrow]

Lol I like it how you modestly say all you had running is 4000 watts that's shit loads for a 2 bed room place i agree with weed420 about getting 600 watt lights they are the most efficient out of all the HID's and you'll be able to get them closer to your plants.

 

[justjr27]

Mcbuds no I wasnt investaged not yet anyways do they come in your house when they do the inv.

 

[Lil Neutrino]

i just got me bill today and it was outragous 415 dollars for a month which has me freaky out b/c my house is only a 2 bedroom. All I had Running was 3 1000 watt lights at 12/12 and 1 1000 watt light at 20/4 and two 5,000 btu a/c's at the same time as the lights.

I calculated the lights and A/C using 20 cents/kw-hr (on the high side, FL rates seem to be between 10-15 cents) and came up with $300 for 31 days ($225 if you use 15 cents). Less than that actually as I do not think the A/C units are running at all times. How much power are those A/C units drawing (500W seems to be average for 5000 BTU A/C units)? Honestly though, what exactly did you expect running that kind of power consumption in lights and A/C? I too laughed when you nonchalantly said, "All I had running was 4 1kW lights"...seriously though, you probably should have calculated your electricity cost prior to purchasing all of that just to be sure it wouldn't have an abnormal effect on your electricity bill or at the very least give you any nasty surprises like you just got.

How much was your average bill prior to the added amenities? If you are doubling your regular consumption on a regular basis you may have a problem. Summer is here and with it higher temps...just tell them you've been running the A/C a lot to combat the weather, maybe had a bunch of out-of-state friends/family who aren't used to the heat for an extended period of time?

Swapping the 1kW's out for 600 watters will save you about $60/month at most assuming 15 cents per kw-hr...still a decent chunk of money though, that's almost 15% of your bill. Changing your 20/4 schedule to 18/6 could save you up to another $10. Not to mention with the reduced wattage lighting and hours you'll be using the A/C less...you might be able to drop your bill close to 20% just by doing the above

 

[Lil Neutrino]

Florida does not have MMJ laws...I don't think they're as lax on the green for casual users as Cali is either And if he's really in Miami they may have bigger fish to fry but why draw extra attention to yourself? Is it enough for the Man to become suspicious? I don't know then again I don't think many people DO know. Where I used to live if I was in his situation I'd be concerned as they didn't take too kindly to our kind. Busting anyone for anything seemed to be newsworthy be it 2 or 3 plants, a 1/4 ounce, or 5 pounds. I finally left that state behind for a more sympathetic one. That and if he's that paranoid over his bill it may eventually have a mental toll...peace of mind is a priority in my book, a little paranoia is a good thing but there is a point where it becomes excessive.

CA punishments (you can get a MMJ license for just about anything there it seems lol, cultivation for personal use should not be an issue legally for most people):
California - NORML

FL punishments:
Florida - NORML

 

[Weed420]

describe "investigated"?

Power bill was late. I went and talked to them. They said they had flagged my bill because it had doubled from last year. They said they were going to cheack and maybe replace the meter. I told them it was just a normal rise in electricity because I had used my electric furnace this winter where I usually just rely on wood heat. Haven't heard anything more so I guess that satisfied them.

 

[Stealthy1]

When is your on cycle during the 12/12? my elec bill states that after 9pm I think the elec costs about 2/3rds less if your not in the know I would check that out as paying 1/3rd of the price (for that time period) is a good deal.

 

[Racefan]

those 5000btu air conditioners use about 700 watts running and about 1100 watts surged to start up. Turn off all but 1 light and one ac and get a darn light rail. Cheap ones run about $120 bucks delivered. I know...I just had two delivered a few months back. Only paid for one but got two. The first was damaged in shipping so the guy just shipped a second one. I rigged the first one and now have a back up.
Also veg with floros and cut that time to 3 weeks max. I'm a firm believer that flowering during seedling stage causes too much stretch and weak stems.
I've been using the lights at the link below for veg for years with excellent results.
Lights of America 65W Fluorex Floodlight (Brown) (9266)

 

[Damian Thorn]

ye man and alsooo another trick of the trade is to keep the power running..as in say if you have 3k flower that will always be 12 12 no mater what and you said you had 1 k for vegg that way you will away draw the same....either cycle...soo if you do have to switch for vegg for everything on all your lights...leave out one 1000 off so you will have a total of 3 k vegging...18x6 =54k while you vflower and vegg would be 48 k plus your ac soo thats around 54kw its the drop in power after a harvest power companys see that when you stop using the 12/12 for 3 months..

 

[sfhaze]

Ok so what I was planning on using more lights for my rooms but that is out of the ? b/c i just got me bill today and it was outragous 415 dollars for a month which has me freaky out b/c my house is only a 2 bedroom. All I had Running was 3 1000 watt lights at 12/12 and 1 1000 watt light at 20/4 and two 5,000 btu a/c's at the same time as the lights.So Adding 4 more lights is out of the question for sure.
.

You should use LEDs, they really do work now. My favorite by far are the Haight Solid State LED lights. Check them out, replace those 1K lights with the PPF-800's it will solve the power bill issue. They generate a lot less heat, so savings on AC will be huge. Plus, no bulbs to replace every 6 months or so.

I run 4 of the PPF-400's (2 for veg (mothers and daughters)), and 2 for flower. My power bill is about $50 over normal, I get a bit less since my space is constrained but I'm sure those two lights could yield over half a pound per cycle.

 

[ZEROorDIE]

When is your on cycle during the 12/12? my elec bill states that after 9pm I think the elec costs about 2/3rds less if your not in the know I would check that out as paying 1/3rd of the price (for that time period) is a good deal.

see thats what i thought so i set my light cylce for the night

but where im at (dont care to say but its a major city on the east coast)

my electric is 12c per kw/h + 8c delivery charge per kw/h

so i pay 20c per kw/h

after i calculated my whole cab(400w hps +a coupl cfls + fans) it come out to just over .5 kw/h * 12 * 7days * 4 weeks

comes out to around $40-50 per month and thats just with a 400w set up

and it doesnt change at all between night and day

 

[ZEROorDIE]

You should use LEDs, they really do work now. My favorite by far are the Haight Solid State LED lights. Check them out, replace those 1K lights with the PPF-800's it will solve the power bill issue. They generate a lot less heat, so savings on AC will be huge. Plus, no bulbs to replace every 6 months or so.

I run 4 of the PPF-400's (2 for veg (mothers and daughters)), and 2 for flower. My power bill is about $50 over normal, I get a bit less since my space is constrained but I'm sure those two lights could yield over half a pound per cycle.

yeah.... LEDs will only work if your trying a sog with small plants as it seriously lacks penetrating power. a 1000w hps will penetrate 4-5ft where as an LED fixture doesnt really penetrate past 1ft

so yeah if you wanna grow trees you need HIDs
if you wanna grow a whole bunch of 6" colas go LED

 

[sfhaze]

so yeah if you wanna grow trees you need HIDs
if you wanna grow a whole bunch of 6" colas go LED

That has been true in the past, but LEDs have continued to improve. The higher power LED fixtures work with normal 3 foot tall plants. Good enough for most indica's but if you want to grow 6 foot tall sativa's then hps is still the only solution

 

[Damian Thorn]

damm that suxs..i just checked my bill power here is 7.25 cents a kw...wow 20 cents a kw is mad expensive

 

[IshmarRodriguez]

That investigation thing just made my paranoia go up +1. lol

My bill has gone up a ton. On average 30KW/H per day. That's $5 extra a day to my electric company. My last bill was $300. Previous years bill was $170. This bill was $350. Previous years bill was $199. So a $150 increase in these two months going into summer.

Does anyone think this will flag anything, or if I pay on time its not enough to matter?

This is only for a 2 bedroom apartment. I'm running 1000w HPS & I was running about 400 watts in CFL's as well, but veg stage is now over and its just the one 1000w on 12/12. So hopefully next month won't be so bad! I also have a 420cfm vortex fan running 24/7, but don't know how many watts that uses.

 

[mustang671]

That's nothing I just got a 1300.00 dollar bill for one month running 1 1000 watt hps and one 600 watt MH that freaked me out Next stop generator.