Electrical Issues. $$ Savings?

[MakinGoo]

Great words from ur Mother thanks 4 sharing..

"The Hard Times make the Good times worth it" Berner

 

[click80]

Just curious what everyone is up to to save some money on the electrical side of indoor growing.

Now i use a 1000 watt magnetic balast and was wondering if at all possible someone could give me some insight into how it is that anyone can afford to run these things. The electric compony here is charging me 3X anything over 600 Kwh. Is that unheard of? could i pay a fee to the electric compony to up that to a little higher so i stop getting hit with these 300$ electric bill increases for using over the allowed 600 Kwh?

I guess im just looking for some insight into what i could do to run 2 lights without getting hit with this damn limit on the Kwh thing? Could i just set up a second electric panal and breaker for my room and then get a seperat bill for that room? therefor allowing the house to run on a bill and the business side of things run on a seperate 600kwh limit?

I just am seriously doubting my ability to keep up with the electric bill! I dont want to start charging my patients, but shit, whatelse is there to do?


Peace,
S i R

I cut my bill down to 267 (past month) and that is 4 1000's, 6 600's, AC unit, 4 50 gallon rez's, 4 80w air pumps, 4 8 tube flouro's (412 or 512 watts each), 1 4 tube flouro, asst'd cloning lights, 5 oscillating fans, 2 8 inch vortex....

I switched over to what we call Watt Watcher program....i pay .04 cents kwh from 10pm to 10 am and from 10pm friday night to 10am Monday is the .04 cent kwh, and .15 cents kwh from 10am to 10 pm monday-thursday. It would be hard to do probably with kids but most electric companies have these programs....i just checked I clocked in over 4000 kwh's on the low rate and 762 on the day rate, next month will be even cheaper cause i had to play around with how to dial in my AC unit and just getting used to this program...my bill would have been over 500 bucks otherwise. Here in CO they let you switch over for 20 bucks, and for the first year they show you your bill both ways and charge you the lesser amount...then at the end of a year you have to decide whether to stay on it or not...at the commercial place i am partners on we did the same thing and with a 3 ton AC unit going 6 100's on light movers, 3 aeroflows and a Tshirt dryer it was only 184 bucks...so both places are WAY CHEAPER, and the money we are saving is paying for our nutrients...one of the smartest things i have done with growing...

 

[jeffadies]

hey click what company is that? im in co too and very interested in this.

 

[click80]

hey click what company is that? im in co too and very interested in this.

LPEA...a lot of providers have programs for off hour rate programs....i used to be a union electrician and have dealt with doing energy audits for utilities and it just hit me one day that they prob had a program so i called 'em up and booyah :o)

 

[StrikeitRich]

Im in MI too, who is your elctricity provider- that sounds ridiculous what you pay. You must be in a rural part of the state?

I pay .085 per Kw up to like 500Kw a month then its .115 a Kw and i thought that was high

Consumers. and I am in the sticks, sort ta say.

 

[StrikeitRich]

I cut my bill down to 267 (past month) and that is 4 1000's, 6 600's, AC unit, 4 50 gallon rez's, 4 80w air pumps, 4 8 tube flouro's (412 or 512 watts each), 1 4 tube flouro, asst'd cloning lights, 5 oscillating fans, 2 8 inch vortex....

I switched over to what we call Watt Watcher program....i pay .04 cents kwh from 10pm to 10 am and from 10pm friday night to 10am Monday is the .04 cent kwh, and .15 cents kwh from 10am to 10 pm monday-thursday. It would be hard to do probably with kids but most electric companies have these programs....i just checked I clocked in over 4000 kwh's on the low rate and 762 on the day rate, next month will be even cheaper cause i had to play around with how to dial in my AC unit and just getting used to this program...my bill would have been over 500 bucks otherwise. Here in CO they let you switch over for 20 bucks, and for the first year they show you your bill both ways and charge you the lesser amount...then at the end of a year you have to decide whether to stay on it or not...at the commercial place i am partners on we did the same thing and with a 3 ton AC unit going 6 100's on light movers, 3 aeroflows and a Tshirt dryer it was only 184 bucks...so both places are WAY CHEAPER, and the money we are saving is paying for our nutrients...one of the smartest things i have done with growing...

Thats what im talking about, the electric company u use what is there name exactly. I need to use this as a model to negotiate with the electric compony im using.

I am PM'in u right now!

Ty

 

[Jsän]

I cut my bill down to 267 (past month) and that is 4 1000's, 6 600's, AC unit, 4 50 gallon rez's, 4 80w air pumps, 4 8 tube flouro's (412 or 512 watts each), 1 4 tube flouro, asst'd cloning lights, 5 oscillating fans, 2 8 inch vortex....

I switched over to what we call Watt Watcher program....i pay .04 cents kwh from 10pm to 10 am and from 10pm friday night to 10am Monday is the .04 cent kwh, and .15 cents kwh from 10am to 10 pm monday-thursday. It would be hard to do probably with kids but most electric companies have these programs....i just checked I clocked in over 4000 kwh's on the low rate and 762 on the day rate, next month will be even cheaper cause i had to play around with how to dial in my AC unit and just getting used to this program...my bill would have been over 500 bucks otherwise. Here in CO they let you switch over for 20 bucks, and for the first year they show you your bill both ways and charge you the lesser amount...then at the end of a year you have to decide whether to stay on it or not...at the commercial place i am partners on we did the same thing and with a 3 ton AC unit going 6 100's on light movers, 3 aeroflows and a Tshirt dryer it was only 184 bucks...so both places are WAY CHEAPER, and the money we are saving is paying for our nutrients...one of the smartest things i have done with growing...

^ this^\

off-peak pricing will save you in the long run. IF you dial in your usage. ie:laundry/dishes no AC during the day.

also, with flowering at night you will Usually save on cooling costs. no sun = less heat.

 

[deep buddy]

we have what they call high rate usage tiers here though my bills aint shit really even with 8k and everything else its worth it. but i will be changing to a higher usage tier they give you like 3 months to change it for free. now what fucked me was my 35000+ gallon water bill. here they charge you in and out for h2o! needless to say my sprinkler is off i keep the front watered to stay low pro. but really i dont waste money on all the nutes and that shite so my over head is low. oh and they re legalized rainwater collection in colorado! so i got to get a rain barrel re set up! crap.

 

[click80]

we have what they call high rate usage tiers here though my bills aint shit really even with 8k and everything else its worth it. but i will be changing to a higher usage tier they give you like 3 months to change it for free. now what fucked me was my 35000+ gallon water bill. here they charge you in and out for h2o! needless to say my sprinkler is off i keep the front watered to stay low pro. but really i dont waste money on all the nutes and that shite so my over head is low. oh and they re legalized rainwater collection in colorado! so i got to get a rain barrel re set up! crap.

have you ever used rain water before? anything wrong with using it off the roof...i have a metal roof...I didnt know it was not legal to collect rainwater...what did the state have a contract with God? I knew living out here was heaven but didnt know it was exclusive...LOL

 

[Seamaiden]

I used my rainwater all last year for all my indoor growing. The first couple of rains are crappy, pulling all that gunk off the roof. But afterwards? Just test it. Mine was fairly perfect, extremely low EC (like... 2 or something like that), pH averaged 6.8, all I needed to do was physically filter out dead bugs and the like. Otherwise, worked GREAT and allowed me to stop running the RO/DI filtration.

Yeah, in some muni's collecting rainwater is apparently not so legal.

 

[Jsän]

we have what they call high rate usage tiers here though my bills aint shit really even with 8k and everything else its worth it. but i will be changing to a higher usage tier they give you like 3 months to change it for free. now what fucked me was my 35000+ gallon water bill. here they charge you in and out for h2o! needless to say my sprinkler is off i keep the front watered to stay low pro. but really i dont waste money on all the nutes and that shite so my over head is low. oh and they re legalized rainwater collection in colorado! so i got to get a rain barrel re set up! crap.

contact your water company.
its true most places charge double for water.
once going into the home, and again leaving the home for treatment.
they have a meter used for houses with lots of plants that need watering.
Irrigation Meter it is called i think...

water that goes thru it isnt charged for sewer.

 

[StrikeitRich]

Updates

This is what Consumers Energy in Michigan told me today when i spoke with them.

They Do NOT have any sort of Watt Watchers Program or any other programs that gives anyone, be it commercial or residential, Any advantages or Price Breaks. State Regulation has made them give everyone the same rates regardless. 7 cents per KWh!!!! No Peak or OFF Peak hours, NOTHING! Just 7 CENTS KWH! Day and Night.

This is because through the months of July and September we are in the "Summer Rates"! What kind of BULLSHIT is that. Energy costs more to produce in the summer than the winter...... UMMMM.... hmmmm.... Well i guess that explains why my bill went from 300 a month before July and 600 a month after July.

Hint to everyone, my error, I didnt read or know that this compony had a "Summer Rate". I should have know this, but i guess i just slipped. This is why in the future ill plan to have my indoor garden running in Power Saver Mood through July to September.

Now my Next question, since i cannot win with the electric compony.

Generators
to run two 1000 watt balasts would a 4000 watt generator handle that efficiently? ANd how much gasoline would a generator that size use every 12 hrs?


Solar Power
What is it? How do i get it? How much is it?

Any ideas are welcome.

Peace,
S i R

 

[Sea Of Green]

Man...it sucks to be you guys. I guess I should really appreciate the super-cheap hydro-electricity, and the virtually limitless, practically free, water supply I've always had here. Electricity and water? Who cares? Let 'em run!

Well, those were the good ol' days...

It's not quite that cheap anymore. It was when I was growing up in the late 70's through the mid 90's. Even now it's still MUCH cheaper than what you guys are talking about, apparently.

BTW, I hate to rub it in your face. But this last winter my highest monthly electricity bill was $148.80 for 1397 kWh, and my water's free(paid by city/tax). I pay roughly 60% of that monthly for electricity in the summer months. I don't worry about off-hours. Leaves me room to play with I guess, now that I think about it. Get another light perhaps?

On the generators, I don't know specifics. Just heard of it being done quite often. My question is what's the most cost-efficient? Like can you get them to run on E85, or bio-diesel maybe?

Solar power's been around for decades. Only gotten better/more efficient with time. I'd be googling the shit out of it myself.

 

[StrikeitRich]

Damn. Yeah dont rub it in please. It hurts. lol.

 

[f1ydave]

This is what Consumers Energy in Michigan told me today when i spoke with them.

They Do NOT have any sort of Watt Watchers Program or any other programs that gives anyone, be it commercial or residential, Any advantages or Price Breaks. State Regulation has made them give everyone the same rates regardless. 7 cents per KWh!!!! No Peak or OFF Peak hours, NOTHING! Just 7 CENTS KWH! Day and Night.

This is because through the months of July and September we are in the "Summer Rates"! What kind of BULLSHIT is that. Energy costs more to produce in the summer than the winter...... UMMMM.... hmmmm.... Well i guess that explains why my bill went from 300 a month before July and 600 a month after July.

Hint to everyone, my error, I didnt read or know that this compony had a "Summer Rate". I should have know this, but i guess i just slipped. This is why in the future ill plan to have my indoor garden running in Power Saver Mood through July to September.

Now my Next question, since i cannot win with the electric compony.

Generators
to run two 1000 watt balasts would a 4000 watt generator handle that efficiently? ANd how much gasoline would a generator that size use every 12 hrs?


Solar Power
What is it? How do i get it? How much is it?

Any ideas are welcome.

Peace,
S i R

You will not be able to afford a generator, they cost MORE to run. Electricity is the cheapest, natural gas being the 2nd cheapest.

Yes they do. It is state regulated. I have DTE which has a few more options. From 7pm -10am you have off peak rates. I pay .05 kwh summer rate. If you run day (11-12 cents) and night (5 cents) you should average about .07-.08 kwh regardless of season. FYI, there are commercial rates in every state and they are cheaper (3-phase power). There are ways to get lower rates you just need to call and ask. If they don't know, hang up and call again, some people are just really bad at their job.

Your electric rate isnt from your 1kw of light. Its from everything else you run. 1kw is NOTHING. I don't understand how your bill is $300...please review your statement, what is your total usage?

each 1kw (@ 10 cents) running 12 hours a day will run you about $34 per month plus taxes and admin fees.

At $300 per month you are running 8kw per hour for 12 hours a day, all month. At $600 you are running 14+kwh...

I am guessing you average almost 4kwh all day, everyday.

Are you running window a/c's? These are massive energy hogs, 2800+kwh, etc.

Here is a link if you do get food card and other programs: http://www.consumersenergy.com/content.aspx?ID=1545

Here is the quote from their site.

Time of Day Rate

If you use the majority of your electricity in the evening, early morning and/or weekends, you may benefit from requesting this revised rate. Call us at (989) 791-5645. Previously available to customers averaging 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electric use per month, it is now open to any residential customer, who chooses to have their energy use metered, based upon on-peak and off-peak periods.

From Monday through Friday, on-peak hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Off-peak periods are 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. Weekends and holidays are off-peak hours. Prices vary by summer (June - September) and winter (October - May)
The small farm, income assistance and life support credits also are available under this rate

Summer/Winter Rates. The cost of electricity is higher in the summer because of greater demand and other factors. This difference will be reflected in summer rates (June - September) and winter rates (October - May).

Residential Summer Rates (Energy First 600 kWh and Energy Over 600 kWh charges)
As displayed on the residential electric customer invoice for Rate RS, “Energy First 600 KWH" refers to the first 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed during the summer months of June through September. The "Energy Over 600 KWH" refers to any additional kWh consumed in the billing month above the 600 kWh. The higher cost for energy over 600 kWhs a month reflects the higher price of energy and capacity during the summer season, which is primarily because of the incremental customer demand (load on the system) associated with air conditioning. The cost to buy and produce electricity increases during this period and is therefore reflected in a tiered pricing structure during the summer months for residential customers to help encourage conservation during the higher-cost summer season. Conservation lowers the utility's cost, saves fuel and benefits all customers. Winter electric rates, which are lower, are effective October through May. Learn more about energy efficiency with information on how to reduce your energy bills and save money.

 

[StrikeitRich]

THAT is what i read EXACTLY as well.

Now these jokers must really blow balls at there job cause im getting jerked off here by them.

I used 3200Kwh for the month of July.

They told me when i called, before growing, they had no peak on or off hours, yes i read that also on there web page, but they told me that where i was i didnt qualify for any of that or it wasnt offered, they said they changed it up cause of state regulation.

Am i getting the shut up, and dont think, just hand us money rutine here?

Yes i use my Central Air unit in the house no window air units just central air. I dont use many lights, so since i got good ventilation i dont need much cooling.

Im calling Consumers again.

Ty for ur help.

Peace,
S i R

 

[StrikeitRich]

Finding the light

K i spoke with consumers, and after being transfered around for a while. I finally got the number for the department that sets up ur peak on or off peak hours.

K my rate was .07$ Kwh for the first 600KwH then .16$ every Kwh after that for the months of July to September.

So now i set up this Peak on off thing, and my rate is this. 0.11$ Kwh during Peak on hours and its .06$ Kwh on non Peak hours.:cool0041: The only thing is i got to do this for a whole year so even in winter i need to watch this.

God im glad i got this shit worked out now.

WHy consumers told me that bullshit in the beginging i dont knwo.

Peace,
S i R

 

[mrdizzle]

consider yourself extremely luck bro, I was paying .44 cent, for a 9k, 5000kwh month the bill would be $2500, plus a $3000 rent. You can make it bro just add more light

 

[StrikeitRich]

Yeah, Im happy now. I just had to dig to get off the .16$ Kwh rate they had me on.

Now after i get the next months bill, and see a dif. I'll be adding 3 more lights...Hopefully!

Ty everyone for helping me understand my situation much better.

Props to the community here at the FARM!!!! You guys saved me again!

Ty Click80 and f1ydave especially!!!


Peace,
S i R

 

[j wizzle]

consider yourself extremely luck bro, I was paying .44 cent, for a 9k, 5000kwh month the bill would be $2500, plus a $3000 rent. You can make it bro just add more light

thats the best way to make this all work out...the only bitch is getting the cash saved up to make the jump. i was struggling with 2 600s, now im doing fine with 4 600s & 1 1k...




makinGOO....youll get by homie, just keep hustling and doing your thing and you will get by. i was in the same boat as you were less than a year ago, struggling to get by, even food was a struggle. all is good, you have the skills, just dont experiment right now. keep doing what you do for the next 2-3 runs and save up.