Hey guys! Starting my first ever grow. Going to follow the recipe that From Seed to Stoned outlines in his videos. I’m in the south, my house is always 75*F and humidity naturally is around 60/70 this time of year sometimes more, but I am going to run dehumidifiers/ humidifiers as needed as well as two fans and an exhaust fan. I am ordering two 1000w led full spectrum lights but may only need one for my tent size (2.5’x5’x72”) I hear everyone talk about how increases in your electric bill tips them off. I get it but at the same time wouldn’t it still be against the law for them to just barge in and want to see if I got anything drawing more electricity than normal? Nevertheless I see dramatic price differences all the time. Sometimes my bill fluctuates as much as $60. I guess what I’m asking is A should I honestly be worried? And B what’s the actual monthly cost for an operation like mine, electricity use wise anyways. Doing the math if it costs me $60 a more per month I’d wind up averaging out around $0.66 per gram (assuming 4 plants yield 2lbs in an 8 week harvest cycle) Thanks for helping a newbie! I’m super stoked to grow. Been something I’ve been wanting to do for months.
One of the better ways to beat summer heat is only run one light, preferably during veg when plants are small and can be squeezed together under the footprint. Then when things cool down you can turn on both lights and spread out. If you are growing photos it wont be too bad even if it is still a little hot becaue you can go 12/12. Before you leap, (I'm going to get banned if I keep telling everybody about qb) check out the elec saving qb boards. As far as elec company goes, they just installed new computer meters and since I started making my own distilled water they tell me each month I am using more electricity in my kitchen than my neighbors. The qb lights run at much less wattage for the same light, so some savings there. The number1 energy burner is the a/c which works extra hard to compensate for all your crazy lights and fans and I just had to throw in a 1 gallon water distiller which adds all kinds of steamy heat. It's like my protekt, it must be good if I go through all that to use it.
Is there any concern then for me to be growing and the electricity increasing? I will look into the QB ones
Even if the electric company asked I could just tell them I have recently gotten some pet lizards that require heat lamps etc.
Those 1000w hid add more than I like, but the days of the DEA checking electricity usage to catch pot growers is over. I don't think they even let the DEA leave Washington anymore. The only one that will know is your meter man, and he/she is probably cool. I think you will really thank me if you choose the qb boards over hps. Check them out and then build around them.
Yes, it is no big deal. It is all just data, and you are not going to show up as a high usage customer. The more rural you get the more you have to assess the honesty of your county deputies. It's not the pot, it's the equipment they want. I ran multiple 1000w hids and also a couple of 250w mh out in the country. Never had an electric issue. Unreportable theft could be an issue if you are not solo and a partner has a big mouth. They don't pay those deputies enough to handle that kind of responsibility.
Well, if you are growing where it ain't legal then cut back on using other electronics when you got your grow lights on. As its always better to be safe than sorry! Anyhow... I know in Massachusetts before the spring of 2015, Unitil Electric, would send out these "electricity usage reports" every quarter, to tell each customer how much "electricity" they were using in "percentage", (%), compared to other neighboring customers, and if you were using 85% or more electricity than some of your neighbors for 3 consecutive quarters in a row they would report you to the local authorities. Anyway... in the spring of 2015 that state legislature put a stop to that because the sate found that there were many legitimate reasons why some people may use more electricity than the average consumer.
My portable AC unit uses double the electricity of my grow tent, including LEDs (QB96's) & fans combined. My dishwasher uses more than my AC unit. My clothes dryer uses more than my dishwasher. Some of the equipment in my workshop uses more than my clothes dryer. Knowing the usage of your appliances is key to being able to adjust and control your electricity use. If you can hang your clothes to dry, wash dishes by hand, upgrade old, inefficient appliances to one's that are "Energy Star" compliant (or whatever the equivalent efficiency rating is in your area), turn your giant 60" TV off when you're not watching it, etc, etc... you might find that simply by adjusting your usage habits, you can keep your usage from spiking and possibly receiving attention. Where i live, the electric company has very detailed info on electricity use, meant to help people better manage their usage. I can see exactly how many KWH's i use each day, can compare it with previous years, compare it with the average usage for my neighborhood, can even compare it to the outside temperature (higher usage during colder months).
My company said I am $28/mo over my neighbors. I have my a/c set at 79f. That's as cold as I can stand it and I sleep with my window open.
Take it from somebody who knows the utility business VERY well, they don't give a crap how much electricity you use period.. . They make money off the more you use. They would love it if everybody had grow lights and portable ac units. The only thing they care about is if you start stealing the electricity then your taking money out of their pockets, at that point you will diffenitly have problems.
AMEN !!! My bill hits over $500 a mo in the Summer, and my electric company sends me flowers on my birthday ! not really, but they love me, LOL
I've been paranoid. It is horrible. Even my own Mother was out to get me. I had to quit smoking pot. I'm always sorry for just about everything. It isn't too bad if you have some pot.
Actually, I learned how to never let it creep back in. If you give it even an inch it will take a mile. And the funny thing is, when I was real paranoid I got busted. I think it attacts what you fear.
It's not the hydro company who'll come to your house with a warrant but it IS the hydro companies that provide police with your information, quite willingly in the majority of cases. Police will often request information from a corporation without a formal warrant and without necessarily having to justify why they want the information (at least until trial!). Hydro companies aren't calling the police on people, but here in BC, the provincial utility company was handing over the data of 3,500 to 5,000 customers a year to the RCMP, who made the requests without a warrant, up until 2014, when supposedly the number of request dropped quite drastically. I absolutely agree, the hydro companies want to make money... but they also want to cooperate with police and it's likely that they'll do so without requiring a formal warrant. But yes, i wouldn't get too paranoid about it unless you're really doing something large-scale and the police have you on their radar already. It's extremely unlikely the police will be kicking down your door because of your hydro bill alone.
