I have had my grow lights on since may my bill never seemed to move in any direction, now all the sudden I got hit with a Bill 10x my usual cost, I checked my meter and saw that the tab was cut on my meter pan... do you think it's possible somehow some type of law enforcement is messing with my meter to get a look inside my house? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
How much light? Some places will just estimate the bill every few months before checking the meter and then charging you any differences... don't sweat it I'd call the electric company and I'd be willing to bet that's all it is... it was probably a few months since they been out there so they haven't changed it and then hit you with everything at once... definitely wouldn't worry about the police.
I had 800w up until 2 weeks ago, then I switched over to a 1000w Gavita but it's dialed down to 720w Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
The tab is only there to prevent the consumer from messing with the meter. The electric company never needs to open the meter to read it. Odd anyone would cut that tab but the last people I'd suspect would be the cops. Neighborhood kids? And they only come out to read the meter every so often - so that's why you got whacked with a big bill suddenly...
They put the tab on there to prevent anyone from getting in and stealing power from the supply side of the meter to cheat. If the electric company opens it they put a new tab on there when they are done that's how it works. If your tab is not intact that's a sign of tampering. Tell them it's been cut and they may inspect it for you for free to make sure it hasn't been messed with. Just act innocent and tell them you noticed it wasn't intact.
You can dim HPS but many times it can mess with the spectrum and isn't recommended long term. The bulbs are designed to burn best and put out the correct spectrum when running hot with the correct power input. That's what I've heard anyway when I've asked too many questions about why stuff wasn't dimmed when the light level seemed excessive to some old school hps growers. The said much better to mess with light distance and air flow or ac then dimming.
+1 to this, your bill should say meter reading type (actual/ estimated), already that's how it is in mass. 5 mins with your bill might sorry that. If it is actual readings all along, then you can claim theft on your line coz your tab is broken, you can call and report something. Maybe something turns up in your favor. Check out my first grow log: First ever grow: How do the girls look?
Have you had the electrical service replaced lately? I'm an electrical worker and have changed out services on the side. You need to cut those tabs to remove the meter to change the panel out. Maybe the tabs have been cut for a while and you never noticed? I doubt they would mess with your meter. Also I've had that happen to my bill a few times. My bill was cheap as hell for a few months straight and then I got slammed with a huge bill. This was way before I started growing. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk