Average Electricity Cost?

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mrconfident

Member
Just trying to figure out what everyone's average electricity cost is on a monthly bases? How much kWh do you consume?

I am trying to start a grow soon and don't want to over spend on equipment. I would like to yield at least 5lbs on my first grow but don't know if that is feasible or not given the fact that I may end up consuming a lot of electricity which could set off a red flag....which is a no no.

The biggest electrical consumption would be the lighting and cooling unit. I was planning on running probably 5,000 Watts Lumateks. Not sure if this is enough lighting or not. Would also probably run a 12,000 BTU portable A/C unit or possibly rig a window unit somehow to work in the space I am using. The window unit would probably save on electrical consumption if I can make it happen.

I still have a lot of research to do but would like to get some insight on what's the norm out there for electrical consumption so I don't overdue it...

Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
redrum83420

redrum83420

Well-Known Member
if your worried about sending up red flag from power useage. id just start small and work your way up. so your power dont jump to fast. every couple of months add more till you get to where you want to be at.
 
M

mrconfident

Member
redrum83420 said:
if your worried about sending up red flag from power useage. id just start small and work your way up. so your power dont jump to fast. every couple of months add more till you get to where you want to be at.
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I'll be moving into a new house, that hasn't been occupied for a few months maybe a year now. So working my way up slowly is kind of a moot point. It's a good idea for anyone who's trying to stay under the radar given if they're trying to grow in their current location.
 
redrum83420

redrum83420

Well-Known Member
if your about to move into a new place. go all out from the day you turn your lights on. they dont know how much power your going to use in your new house.
 
KronDonSmoker

KronDonSmoker

Active Member
5 lbs would be 2,240 grams a safe measure is usually .5 grams per watt of light I would say at least 2 1000W hps that will jump up your electric quiet a bit
 
KronDonSmoker

KronDonSmoker

Active Member
ahh i must of read over what you were going use been smoking too much in this blizzard we are having, you would probably jump your electric up like 100 to 150 a month depending where you live
 
M

mrconfident

Member
KronDonSmoker said:
ahh i must of read over what you were going use been smoking too much in this blizzard we are having, you would probably jump your electric up like 100 to 150 a month depending where you live
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That's what I figured. At my current place, I spend about $150-$160 a month just on utilities. Some of my buddies are closer to $200 a month. These figures are for non growing. Just general everyday consumption.

Just wanted to see what everyone else's numbers look like.
 
DB&ST

DB&ST

Well-Known Member
if it's 5 grams per watt..
then 2 1000W HPS light's will get you an average of 10,000 grams?

something is not right \:
 
W

wiseguy316

Well-Known Member
DB&ST said:
if it's 5 grams per watt..
then 2 1000W HPS light's will get you an average of 10,000 grams?

something is not right \:
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you seemed to have missed the decimal..... 1/2 gram.. that isn't something to strive for but that is what most get. 1 gram per watt is what we are looking for.
 
Bauks

Bauks

Well-Known Member
I Harvest Every Week Under 550w It cost about 30$ "more" a month on average to run my setup
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
mrconfident said:
That's not too bad...So .5 grams per watt of light is the rule of thumbs?

Thanks for the advice.
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Basically that is a good rule of thumb. It is approximately a pound per thousand watts. Depending on genetics and the grower's skills and luck, much more is possible. However, if you get less than .45g/w then you are not doing well.
 
M

mrconfident

Member
Hum215 said:
Basically that is a good rule of thumb. It is approximately a pound per thousand watts. Depending on genetics and the grower's skills and luck, much more is possible. However, if you get less than .45g/w then you are not doing well.
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That's good to know.

Thanks. So it sounds like 5,000 watts should be more than sufficient for 5lbs harvest. I understand there are other factors/variables that need to be taken into account for but just speaking in terms of lighting, 5k watt sounds like it should be enough.
 
P

pickleman

Well-Known Member
strain is a HUUUUUUUUUGE factor my mango produces more than double what my kush does and they are side by side. im on my third round with these strains
 
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