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electricity bills etc

G

Guest

Im about to install a 1200 watt ac unit, and add ill be having my 1000 watt on probably 18/6 or 24/0, not sure which yet. Im looking for some help with the kwh and such, for the life of me i cannot figure out how much more ill be spending a month on power.

right now im paying around 200 a month, once i add the 1000 watt (say, for 24 hours a day, every day). and the 1200 watt AC unit for say 8 hours a day tops.

i currently use 60 kWh per day, thats with standard household things running, computers and such, and a 400 watt HPS. which adds up to 1760 or so kwh per month. When my bill says i use 60 kWh a day, does that mean im using 6000watts of electricity a day? From what I can understand, if i ran a 1000 watt light for 24 hours a day. 1000 watts = 1 kilowatt hour, so that would be 24 kilowatt hours extra per day, am i right? It just doesnt seem to add up right.

Im just trying to get a grasp on what I can possibly cut back on. and sort of paranoid about the power increase.
 
bounty29

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
Yeah, (1kW)x(24 hours) = 24kWh and if you're using a magnetic ballast, I think it'll use a little more than 1000w. So during flowering, that'd be (1kW)(12 hours)+(1.2kW)(8 hours)=21.6kWh. The total would be a little more with fans and stuff, but that's a rough estimate. So for an eight week flowering strain, saying you pay $0.10/kWh, it'd cost you $120~ (just for the 12/12 period)
 
G

Guest

Thanks for the help, Im not too worried about paying the bill. Im just really worried about being noticed. but at the same time, I know its nothing to worry about because people use more electricity then me for sure. so its 50/50, i just need to get over it i guess.
 
2buds

2buds

Active member
I'm running 300-400 a month for electric bills, all year round for almost 2 years. Knock on wood, I pay it and they smile. I'm all electric these days so if anyone should ask.(power company) Good luck with the math, the older I get the harder it is to add.
Peace

Feed them till they burst!
 
marx2k

marx2k

Active member
Veteran
I'd say more suspicious is when you have a pattern of kicking 1kW on for 12 hours, every 12 hours.
 
G

Guest

The 1k turning on for 12 hours a day won't be noticed, unless someone is standing outside your house with a clamp meter on your feed. Your power meter only shows cumulative usage, and if they watch the wheel spin, current draw. They can't isolate individual meters for patterns of usage, other than monthly fluctuations. So if you normally use 100 dollars a month, then suddenly your bill jumps to 400 dollars, that will get you maybe noticed. Similar to our water company will call if your bill is suddenly outside your normal usage, they just want to make sure you don't have a leak somewhere.

When I flip on my 1k ballast soon, I will discontinue using several electric heaters, shouldn't be much of a change, since they're 1500W heaters. Keep the graph smooth, they won't notice.
 
bounty29

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
On the same note as FlipMode, if you're moving into an apartment or anything and planning on growing, start it asap. That way it'll be considered your "normal" bill.
 
G

Guest

watts x how many hours using watts x how much per kwh you pay...divided by 1000=how much you pay for the wattage in the time frame in the equation you chose...you have got it rite though it sounds
 
G

Guest

2buds said:
I'm running 300-400 a month for electric bills, all year round for almost 2 years. Knock on wood, I pay it and they smile. I'm all electric these days so if anyone should ask.(power company) Good luck with the math, the older I get the harder it is to add.
Peace

Feed them till they burst!
Click to expand...
Basically yup on everything...even the getting old part...lol.
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

668, Neighbor of the Beast
unless someone is standing outside your house with a clamp meter on your feed.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true everywhere. My electric co-op recently installed a system where everything, including meters and transformers, etc is a networked device and is monitored by computer. Lineman was telling me they can look at a screen and see pretty much who's using how much and when, though he indicated it was more for their info so they can provide power where its needed. If your meter is digital theres a good chance that its networked or at least has the capability.

Knowing my elec company like I do, I'm a home builder, you'd probably have to run the bill into the thousands before anyone would notice. I personally know of several 3 and 4 bedroom homes that pay 5-6 hundred dollar monthly bills and no one looks twice at them.
 
G

Guest

I have heard that in Canada(ontario) they are starting to install "smart" meters. Things things show when and how much electricity you are using. Something I don't want to see happen in my neck of the woods.

Cheers,
SH
 
G

Guest

I've heard about 'smart meters' but private (not government regulated but most likely still publicly traded) electric companies are in the business of making money. I had a digital meter awhile back and could not see any way it could have been wired to some type of central control station unless they tapped a phone or cable line somehow. Sure it could probably broadcast a signal and maybe was but almost every meter I see is analog. Thing I see is they don't need to come on teh property to read the meter...just maybe drive by. For the electric company this basically improves employee/general productivity and bottom line profits...$$$. I don't think that monitoring system is set up yet. Don't know what country or state you're in SomeGuy...just wondering. I got a friend whose bills were close to $1k per month and...nothing.

I think eventually virtually everything in your life will be monitored...welcome 1984...just not yet.

Pay your bill on time and don't go crazy but take into consideration your local circumstances regarding the neg/pos enviro for electrical consumption.
 
G

Guest

Ok, thanks for the help guys. Looking forward to adding this new light in.
 
G

Guest

the smart meters you speak of will actually help you save some money on a grow.
it records usage during times of day.
if you use most of your power off peak, you will be charged less.
if you use more power during peak, you will be charged more.
i'll welcome smart meters to my area when they come :)
 
SomeGuy

SomeGuy

668, Neighbor of the Beast
wired to some type of central control station unless they tapped a phone or cable line somehow. Sure it could probably broadcast a signal
Click to expand...

Redux, the electric line IS the network.

That was one of the first questions I asked, "How do it work?" I'm in the US and on a rural co-op system, meaning privately owned by the members. It took them pretty close to 8-12 months to do the complete upgrade, they even sent out teams using 4 wheelers to map every line using GPS. Pretty much state of the art from what the linemen were telling me.

Incidentally the water co installed devices where they can get drive by readings, its just a black box down in the hole connected to a special meter that also has a readout like the old style.
 
G

Guest

digital meters if you grow and have one you are fucked if there is a inquiry of your account...so as long as the wheel spins round and round your ok...digital not so ok...peace
SomeGuy said:
Not entirely true everywhere. My electric co-op recently installed a system where everything, including meters and transformers, etc is a networked device and is monitored by computer. Lineman was telling me they can look at a screen and see pretty much who's using how much and when, though he indicated it was more for their info so they can provide power where its needed. If your meter is digital theres a good chance that its networked or at least has the capability.

Knowing my elec company like I do, I'm a home builder, you'd probably have to run the bill into the thousands before anyone would notice. I personally know of several 3 and 4 bedroom homes that pay 5-6 hundred dollar monthly bills and no one looks twice at them.
Click to expand...
 
G

Guest

SomeGuy said:
Yeah, you would have to screw up somewhere else and then that might become a part of their evidence puzzle.
Click to expand...
I think it still comes down to 'probable cause'.
 
marx2k

marx2k

Active member
Veteran
Again, grow lights are small players when it comes to the collective household power draw and appliances that cause it. Computers, microwaves, hairdryers, fish tanks, fish tank illumination systems, televisions, washer/dryer, etc.

Also, one must remember that these lights are used not only for growing plants (as in indoor hydroponics for edibles) but also for illuminating the driveway/back yard/side of the house (I still dont get why people feel the need to do that in safe, suburban neighborhoods) at night and fish tanks (And sometimes workshops, basements and garages).

Yes, people use HID lights to grow marijuana. But HID lights are used for many other purposes that are not going to land the user in jail. What do you really think the chances are that you are going to land in jail because the electric company for some reason gets suspicious that you have a 400-1000 (or multi kW) power draw in your home?

I know that being paranoid can be healthy but at some point you realize that you're just covering up tracks of tracks youre covering up just to cover up some tracks!
 
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