mr.stankydank said:

yes not only do they bill u more for using electricity during peak hours , and charge u for going over ur basic line usage during peak hours.. the meters are so accurate ur electrical bill will double if not triple just from old changeover alone...do let them install smart meter , keep old magnetic one ,, u have a choice .....and they can shut u off from there headquarters now from computer , no more coming to property to shut off .. those dogs wont work anymore...dude switch to a 600 at 240 volt u might yeild more because less heat and keep canopy closer to top of plants,all different varibles..the heat from 1000 is a pain to deal with.....i am spealking from expeirence. i have smart meter now ...what use to cost me 550.00 for 4 1000 watts for flowering and 1 600 for mothers at 20 hours a day. now its like 1500.00 ;;;;sticker shock...buy stock in pgand e there profits triple now because of smart meter......who gave them all the fuckin power .....:mad0233:stankydank

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hell yeah, my bill went up real bad. couldnt believe it. thats why i called and asked about off peak hour rate, cuz thats when my lights are on... pain in the ass honestly. we are all getting straight raped in the ass right now....and it fucking HURTS!!!

Wait a minute... so, the reason why anyone who got a SmartMeter saw their bill go UP is because it's more accurate????

I find that a laughable notion. It may be true, but it reads like a joke to me.

test your meter there hommie. (kill-o-watt)

the older models would double/tripple usage if they reached 100deg internally.


sea? how do LED hold up to 3watts per gallon needs?

Well A couple things I looked at that made a difference were:

Adjusted my fridge and freezer setting a little warmer, but still fine to keep foods cold enough.

if you have an electric water heater, turn it down as low as you can go and still get a hot shower.

got ride of my 2 - 1500 watt surround sounds, and my old big screen...now have a 42" lcd that uses 100watts

we also have elec stove, so we cut back on its usage and bake alot less.

Keep an eye on your coffe pot, my POS takes 800 watts, and we laeft it running for hours...i get the coffee hot then shut it down...if the coffee gets cold i just microwave.

I run my lights at night so its easier to keep the grow cool.

Also, I grow in soil now, alot less shit to have plugged in...no more water chiller, water pumps, air pumps ect....

use smaller cfl's (like 15 watters in all lights around the house)

maybe try and cut back on loads of laundry also if you can, and ditch the dryer and hang dry your shit outside...smells alot better too....go look how many watts them dryers use...

as for house a/c...i only run for a few hours in the middle of the day, I bought a few floor fans and keep them on when im in a room.

also, just be more contious on a daily basis of what you have running. I had a damm magic jack phone to save money, but the stoner i was I would leave my desktop computer on 24 hrs a day so i could use the magic jack. ditched the magic jack, bought a cell and saved alot there too...

and I use to run my veg room on 24 hours light...now i run 18 and dont notice any diff.

well thats all i got off the top of my head....

Seamaiden said:

Wait a minute... so, the reason why anyone who got a SmartMeter saw their bill go UP is because it's more accurate????

I find that a laughable notion. It may be true, but it reads like a joke to me.

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my bill was around 500-600 max....now my last 2 bills since install where 997 and 780....its not a very funny joke...

maybe summer rates went up, but my electrical usage hasnt really gone up

j wizzle said:

my bill was around 500-600 max....now my last 2 bills since install where 997 and 780....its not a very funny joke...

maybe summer rates went up, but my electrical usage hasnt really gone up

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My bill stayed roughly the same when i got a smart meter...and i like the way i can go outside at see at a glance exactly how many watts im using.

Not saying they more or less accurate...just my experiance with a new smart meter.

j wizzle said:

my bill was around 500-600 max....now my last 2 bills since install where 997 and 780....its not a very funny joke...

maybe summer rates went up, but my electrical usage hasnt really gone up

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some elec companies credit you kwh in the winter if you have electric heating.

SMUD for instance gives you 700kwh more in winter before moving to Tier 2 pricing.


I would seriously check your Smart Meter.
grab a Kill o watt (20$)
turn off all breakers in your house.
check your meter to be certain it is showing zero usage.
then, flip one breaker that you can isolate down to just one outlet being used.
With the Killowatt, test the draw of a heavy draw item against the "Smart Meter"

try to do it in the hottest part of the day. Some models were over charging when hot.

Jsän said:

test your meter there hommie. (kill-o-watt)

the older models would double/tripple usage if they reached 100deg internally.


sea? how do LED hold up to 3watts per gallon needs?

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Don't have the experience with LEDs, but I can point you in the direction of some people who are growing mad crazy corals (delicate, high-light intensity-needing SPS at that) using different LED arrays.

I can't test the meter anymore, we had PG&E change out the Smart Meter for a bidirectional meter when the solar array went online. GOD! I fucking love that!

j wizzle said:

my bill was around 500-600 max....now my last 2 bills since install where 997 and 780....its not a very funny joke...

maybe summer rates went up, but my electrical usage hasnt really gone up

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If you're in Cali, no, they've made it easier to bump you up to the next pricing tier. And if you're being served by PG&E, know that since 2005 their rates have gone up 15% per annum, COMPOUNDED.

I've had a few thousand sitting in the bank... maybe I should invest in PG&E. :sign0065: Seriously! A 15% ROI isn't bad, is it?

I suggested using a light rotator to drastically cut power consumption. It's under 'advanced techniques and problems: built my own light rotator, wanna see?'

StrikeitRich said:

Sure Post pics please.

Ty,
S i R

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Pics are on the thread.

So far, tested it with one 1000W MH, and 2 1000W HID, one each HPS and MH, both DUCTED so heat is sent outside! I don't run the veg room sealed, so I vent outside and draw in fresh air.

Advantages include spreading light around, good light penetration due to movement, super high light intensity since I can lower the bulb to within 12-15" of tops WITHOUT a pane of glass...

Next up is flying an adjust-a-wing, betting this will do the work of both the old style reflectors. Need to adjust my canopy edge reflectant system, but I'm betting it will more than adequately light an area of 6 to 7 feet in diameter, plenty well enough for vegetative plants. How many lil girls can you grow in 35 square feet with just 1000 watts?

If efficiency is becoming the new name of the game, what's it worth to you to cut your power consupmtion in half, as well as your annual bulb replacement costs? How about a few months' rent?

Seamaiden said:

Don't have the experience with LEDs, but I can point you in the direction of some people who are growing mad crazy corals (delicate, high-light intensity-needing SPS at that) using different LED arrays.

I can't test the meter anymore, we had PG&E change out the Smart Meter for a bidirectional meter when the solar array went online. GOD! I fucking love that!

If you're in Cali, no, they've made it easier to bump you up to the next pricing tier. And if you're being served by PG&E, know that since 2005 their rates have gone up 15% per annum, COMPOUNDED.

I've had a few thousand sitting in the bank... maybe I should invest in PG&E. :sign0065: Seriously! A 15% ROI isn't bad, is it?

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yeah I was researching these smart meters and did some reading on PG&E. They are a perfect example of corporations and utilities run amok. There are some people getting a lawsuit together, or already have by now, and are challenging the way that the Tier pricing was arrived at. They used an average of people in your area, but if i remember correctly PGandE used this method because they knew most everyone's bill would jump, not because it was fair...like thats a big surprise, right?

I was using two 150watt plug in play systems and some CLFs in a few other places for veg places, my bill jumped a 100 when i added the extra 150watt. They were pullin 6.5 amps or something together plus my inline fan. I just got a 400watt Galaxy ballast, only runs 3.2amps plus 1.5 amps for both my fans...So that was my conservation...Hoping this will knock it back from 400 to 300 at least!

I feel like the only thing ya can do is pay to play, i mean indoor is playin god right? that should cost a pretty penny...

haha