Electricity - What's the Cutoff?

I'm pretty sure that no one can really answer this question...but I would make an assumption that if you keep it down to a 1000 watt light (maybe two) and the associated equipment you would be fine. It also helps if you go around and make the rest of your electric usage more efficient so the change is minimal.

I changed to cfl's in 90% of my lights and eliminated a freezer that wasn't really being used and I actually use less energy...

 

Whatever you can afford.

 

As long as you keep your bill paid, you should be fine with any small level grow op. Running a 1000 watt light or two and the rest of the equipment you need would be considered well within the typical range of kilowatt hour usage. The main thing is to always keep your bill paid and up to date.

 

The electric company wants you to use 20 1000w lights and pay your bill on time please and thank you.

 

LoL like the federal government has money to bust the little guy. HA. We just cut our military in 1/2 during war and you are worried about running a 1000w light? hmmm?? lol.

 

doesn´t need to make sense, and remember, someone earns money with people in prison, sure, a 1000w light or probably 2 should not be a problem i guess, but people getting busted due to their electricty bill is nothing unheard of, which brings us back to the question

 

Most people who get busted due to their electricity get busted because they don't pay their bill or they try to steal electricity. The extra electricity usage from a normal-scale OP (1 or 2 1000W) will not likely raise any red flags. They are more likely to think that you put in an extra freezer, or got another TV or are running a bunch of gaming systems or something than they are to think it's from a grow. You use more electricity, they get more $. As long as it's not way more electricity than a normal household could potentially use (and that's a lot of power), you're fine.

And I definitely second the idea of using this opportunity to make the rest of your house more energy efficient. Change light bulbs to CFLs, turn off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. You can also change the setting on your refrigerator to make it slightly less cold, and turn your AC up a few degrees. Also the dryer is a huge energy drain, put up a mini clothes line or get a drying rack. By making some of these changes you will definitely be able to offset the energy usage from your grow op if you are concerned about it. But, like I said, the extra electricity usage from a normal-scale OP is unlikely to raise any red flags unless you try to steal electricity and mess with their equipment or don't pay your bill.

 

There are probably a lot worse security risks in running an grow op of that size besides your electricity usage. If you do this, be damn careful...