How To Save On Electricity: Post Tips Here

[GrowingMadness]

My tip #1:

(not sure, please comment)

Get CFLs, get an MH/HPS.

During vegging turn your CFLs to 18 hours straight light.

Then put another time on your MH/HPS. Make it so that this light works 9 hours or less per day. It works 1 hour and then rests for 1 hour.

This is imho natural conditions and you save on electricity. The CFLs represent cloudy weather, the HPS - direct sun.

Not sure how well this will do, but it will save you few bucks.

Tip #2

Save on exhaust power. Put up a timer - the same they use for heated floors - in your grow room. Setup a temperature when the timer goes off.

For example, when it gets too hot, the exhaust turns on. When it's OK temp you don't really need to be wasting energy cooling down your grow -- as long as there is fresh air coming in.

 

[TeaTreeOil]

It works 1 hour and then rests for 1 hour.

Really bad idea for bulb wear. Unless you like replacing bulbs often. Which, in the end, won't save any money, but cost more.
---
Replace all the incandescents in your home with ~13W CFLs. Several times the power savings there.

 

[mygirls]

save electric convert your ballast over to 220 volt, veg cycly run your light 24/0. every time your light comes on is when it uses the most power. flower there now way around it unlessyou can use the natural sun to flower with. other then that the power companies love our asses.... LOL

 

[Cr8z13]

I stopped using my 6.1 surround setup in favor of the tiny TV speakers. The receiver was 600W, plus another 300 for the powered sub. I mostly watch news and talk-y dramas so it's not like I miss the system all that much.

I also stopped leaving my PC on 24/7. It's powered off most of the time now. I think it has a 450W PSU.

I use CFL's for most household lighting now too.

Another thing I did was install a window fan in the grow room to get plenty of fresh air and as a result I don't have to use the AC as much.

 

[doobnVA]

I switched ALL the light bulbs in my house to CFLs a few months ago. BIG difference in the bill. I'm using less than half the electricity I was before the switch. That's why I chose CFLs for my indoor vegetable grow. Using less electricity makes me very happy.

 

[HAT TRICK STEVE]

I stopped using my 6.1 surround setup in favor of the tiny TV speakers. The receiver was 600W, plus another 300 for the powered sub. I mostly watch news and talk-y dramas so it's not like I miss the system all that much.

I also stopped leaving my PC on 24/7. It's powered off most of the time now. I think it has a 450W PSU.

I use CFL's for most household lighting now too.

Another thing I did was install a window fan in the grow room to get plenty of fresh air and as a result I don't have to use the AC as much.

i dont think 600 watts of speakers is the same as 600 watts of electricity because they go through an amplifier it converts less into more
here is the best way to save elect. put everything in your entertainment center on a plug strip and when not watching cut power,... color tv's over 27 inch is the 4th power consumer in the house cuz it uses elect 24 hrs a day even when its off, so cut the power when youre not watching tv, i would leave the cable box pluged into the wall cuz if you cut the power it erases the programming guide
next, find the circut breaker for the water heater and shut it off when you're at work, it only takes 20 min to heat 40 gallons of water so just turn it on in the eve for showers, dishes, ect,.. or get one of those grey box timers on ebay and put the water heater on a timer
in the winter time get a kerosene heater in the living room and cut your heating bill
if you can, you can also replace your electric stove with gas

 

[laserbrn]

I switched ALL the light bulbs in my house to CFLs a few months ago. BIG difference in the bill. I'm using less than half the electricity I was before the switch. That's why I chose CFLs for my indoor vegetable grow. Using less electricity makes me very happy.

Running your veg lights 24/0 instead of 18/6 will not be cheaper than 18/6.

Turning your lights on and off every hour is ridiculous. A lot of power is consumed during the ignition phase of the bulb. Not enough to offset the savings by running 18/6 though.

Your bulbs are also going to hate you for it.

 

[mygirls]

Running your veg lights 24/0 instead of 18/6 will not be cheaper than 18/6.

Turning your lights on and off every hour is ridiculous. A lot of power is consumed during the ignition phase of the bulb. Not enough to offset the savings by running 18/6 though.

Your bulbs are also going to hate you for it.

ok you better check into that.

 

[doobnVA]

i dont think 600 watts of speakers is the same as 600 watts of electricity because they go through an amplifier it converts less into more
here is the best way to save elect. put everything in your entertainment center on a plug strip and when not watching cut power,... color tv's over 27 inch is the 4th power consumer in the house cuz it uses elect 24 hrs a day even when its off, so cut the power when youre not watching tv, i would leave the cable box pluged into the wall cuz if you cut the power it erases the programming guide
next, find the circut breaker for the water heater and shut it off when you're at work, it only takes 20 min to heat 40 gallons of water so just turn it on in the eve for showers, dishes, ect,.. or get one of those grey box timers on ebay and put the water heater on a timer
in the winter time get a kerosene heater in the living room and cut your heating bill
if you can, you can also replace your electric stove with gas

These are good suggestions. I've also put my television, dvd player, etc on a power strip that I turn off when it's not being used. Same thing for the microwave, and various chargers (dust buster, lawn mower battery, cell phone, etc). You'd be surprised how much electricity is used by appliances that are "off", but still plugged in.

 

[laserbrn]

ok you better check into that.

I've done enough grows to be able to see the difference. The lights don't use THAT much power that it would offset the 6 hours of savings to have the light fire once.

As well as the fans and everything else you have going.

I now run T5HO for my veg so I don't have to worry about that at all. 6 Hours off is definitely a good thing.

 

[IIIIIBuDIIIII]

i have only cfl's in my house and im using cfl's for veg now

 

[mygirls]

I've done enough grows to be able to see the difference. The lights don't use THAT much power that it would offset the 6 hours of savings to have the light fire once.

As well as the fans and everything else you have going.

I now run T5HO for my veg so I don't have to worry about that at all. 6 Hours off is definitely a good thing.

yes i well agree with the fans running but just the light alone running 24.0 cost less the running 18/6. now we have to think again on what time ofthe day do you run your room, is it during peak hours. my rooms start at 6am that will make a big diffrence in your bill

 

[simpsonsampson420]

best legal ways are to just keep plugged in only what you need to have plugged in at any given time... use cfls.. blah blah blah.. all the suggestions have already been made...

the absolute best way to save power is to use a "jumper"... its a small U shaped thing that goes in your meter box... it fits around the actual electrical counter that keeps track of how much power your house uses... what the jumper does is allows 1/2 of the power to run through it, and around the counter, so only half the power you actually use gets counted by the timer... the biggest problem with this is 1, its almost impossible to do if you have meter readers that read your meters like i have in my area... you have to open your meter box, which has a tamper clip on it so the electrical company knows if you've been fucking with the meter at all... secondly it is HIGHLY illegal.. not that a portion of us arent doing this illegally now anyways.. but there is a MUCH higher chance you would get popped for using a jumper than growing... so its not really worth it... but... it does save the most power and money...

 

[kevin]

move your children out. when my 3 lived at home the light bill was 500 on the average, now that they are gone, 300 at the most.

kevin

 

[doobnVA]

move your children out. when my 3 lived at home the light bill was 500 on the average, now that they are gone, 300 at the most.

kevin

Mine are 4 and 6, so they're a bit young for their own place. I could send them "camping" in the back yard for a week or two, though
They're good about turning lights off when they leave a room (or in the case of my youngest who can't reach the switches - asking me to do it), but if they had it their way the television would be on 24 hours a day.

As far as using the most electricity in my household, I think I'm the culprit. I keep my laptop plugged in constantly, because I'm too cheap to buy a new battery (although it's probably costing me more in the long run to keep it plugged in than it would to buy a new battery) AND I have a tendency to run the A/C when opening a window would probably suffice.

Lately I've developed a conscience when it comes to wasting electricity, and I find myself digging through the trash to pull out recyclables.

Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe it's the economy... but I worry a lot more these days. I guess that's good news for my dealer, because I've been smoking like a chimney. Going through half an oz about every six days.

 

[laserbrn]

yes i well agree with the fans running but just the light alone running 24.0 cost less the running 18/6. now we have to think again on what time ofthe day do you run your room, is it during peak hours. my rooms start at 6am that will make a big diffrence in your bill

ya know what? Just for shits and giggles I am going to go to the Home Depot today and pick up a power meter. I'll run my lights in my grow tent that I'm not using yet (just to finally answer this question) for one week with them on 24 hours and one week with them on 18/6 and see which way draws more power.

This will be with a 400w HPS.

 

[kevin]

besides the kids i save by running my grow at night making it easier for cooling. another thing we did was when the central a/c went out a few years ago. i went with window units and cool the room you are in, not the whole house. usually just run the one in the bedroom unless company is coming over. the temps here in dallas are already brutal, over 100 degrees. plant shade trees to block the sun off your house.

 

[mygirls]

ya know what? Just for shits and giggles I am going to go to the Home Depot today and pick up a power meter. I'll run my lights in my grow tent that I'm not using yet (just to finally answer this question) for one week with them on 24 hours and one week with them on 18/6 and see which way draws more power.

This will be with a 400w HPS.

that will be cool. keep us updated..

 

[GrowingMadness]

"Reverse power generator" is what we need.

I don't know what it's called in English.

You basically plug it in to your socket and your meter starts going backwards.

I've been trying to build one for months now, no luck. Might hire an electrician.

 

[laserbrn]

that will be cool. keep us updated..

Home Depot didn't have one. I'm going to either pick it up tomorrow at the hydro store (I know they have one) or order one online. We will have our answers soon! I also just want to be able to always tell how much electricity a grow took and have the ability ro REALLY look at my growing efficiency in the future.