What Ya Payin For Electric

[ttystikk]

To continue the vein of solar power, I like the ability of solar to place panels on existing roofs and garages, and to become an architectural element in new designs, even as they help cut operating costs. You can put them on garages, carports- they can BE the carport- sheds, on a pole in a field, anywhere under the sun.

There are more efficient solar designs, each comes with its own drawbacks; moving solar panels that track the sun are much more efficient than stationary mounts, but clearly then they can't be firmly or rigidly mounted as part of a roof. Higher performance solar panels cost more and all panels come with a hidden cost of maintenance; the need to wash them occasionally, especially in very dusty dry climates. Buying types that specifically work as roofing material is expensive, but it does combine the cost of panels with the cost of roofing.

Passive solar may be easily overlooked, but I think this has huge promise; allowing the sun to stream in and warm your home in winter and shade in the summer is a very old idea that can certainly be manipulated in the modern age! Consider the benefits of combining your home with a sizeable solar-intelligent greenhouse; open, comfortable living space, and lower energy bills...

 

[Confuten1]

Sounds to me like you know your way around the solar industry. I looked into wind power in my local area and what I personally found was that wind isn't constant or strong enough to justify the turbines.

What I found was that I could use solar panels to offset peak grid daytime use and just reutilize at night from the grid when power is plentiful. If enough people did this, it would eliminate the need for a lot of big stinky coal fired power plants in this country!

Getting more local, I also found that the power company in my area didn't have a plan for me to buy and sell my power at real-time rates- to put it mildly, lol. On the other hand, if I wanted to offset a higher tier of usage, this is an ideal target for a solar setup. This way, you can often buy a smaller and cheaper system and it targets your most expensive power, thus shortening your payback time. You don't need a big solar array to do this, you just need to look at your bill carefully, and call your utility and ask around.

My understanding is most areas donot have strong enough " sustained winds" to make wind a reality, but ive never researched it and always wondered what a turbine could genterate day to day .

As far as the power companies buying power back from the consumer, in cali its a law that if u provide them with more powerthan u use( yearly cycle) they have to pay u for the extra power, the problem is, they pay wholesale rates, nowhere near what they charge us, let alone being in the 5th teir ( .31 per kwh)

Confu...

 

[Confuten1]

To continue the vein of solar power, I like the ability of solar to place panels on existing roofs and garages, and to become an architectural element in new designs, even as they help cut operating costs. You can put them on garages, carports- they can BE the carport- sheds, on a pole in a field, anywhere under the sun.

There are more efficient solar designs, each comes with its own drawbacks; moving solar panels that track the sun are much more efficient than stationary mounts, but clearly then they can't be firmly or rigidly mounted as part of a roof. Higher performance solar panels cost more and all panels come with a hidden cost of maintenance; the need to wash them occasionally, especially in very dusty dry climates. Buying types that specifically work as roofing material is expensive, but it does combine the cost of panels with the cost of roofing.

Passive solar may be easily overlooked, but I think this has huge promise; allowing the sun to stream in and warm your home in winter and shade in the summer is a very old idea that can certainly be manipulated in the modern age! Consider the benefits of combining your home with a sizeable solar-intelligent greenhouse; open, comfortable living space, and lower energy bills...

I like the way u think and u make vaild points, i also like the idea of the panels as part of the house design vs. an afterthought, systems are done all the time on top of carports and such.

As far as diffrwnt designed systems, specifically the ones that track the sun, these things are badd ass and produce almost twice the power per sqft but as u metioned there is alot of hidden costs, mostly in maitenance, plus u cant just put those on an exsisting roof, u would need reinforcement and thats why most of these systems are a independant structure.
Panels tht are built as roofing tiles present a problem on their own, mostly they donot last as long as regular pv panels. They donot allow for self cooling like normal pv panels thus shorting the life span.
I think thin film technology is he future of solar. Most industry analysis progect a cost point of 1-3$ per kwh installed with thin film tech vs the 4-7$ per kw after rebates we now pay for regular pv panels.

Passive heating/ cooling should be used more in design of homes but at this point , people try to do this as an after thought.
Confu...

 

[Sica]

Solar, Wind, I wish. Seriously how would you ever power such a large amount of high amp lights from either? while still being comparable in cost to grid power? I'd think any such system at present would cost 10-20 years to repay just what you may have saved in power costs, by that time you'd be looking at a new install to replace damaged hardware. On a side note, it seems most authorities are limiting how big a system you can install on residential properties (from rebates limited to certain size systems to rules on % of roof covered) I believe in an effort to keep society dependent on mains power. (and hence coal plants)

 

[ttystikk]

Yes it is less than half price of solar for same kw and they make power at night BUT you have to live in a windy area and have at least an acre or two to use them,just another option for a farmer.

The key is that you have to live where the wind blows consistently and hard enough to justify it. That's where wind turbines have trouble; not everyone lives in Wyoming, or the Texas Panhandle...

 

[ttystikk]

The key is that you have to live where the wind blows consistently and hard enough to justify it. That's where wind turbines have trouble; not everyone lives in Wyoming, or the Texas Panhandle...

I have lived in both Wyoming and the Texas panhandle and I can tell you they are good places to be 'from' lol. Not least because of the damned wind.

 

[fishwhistle]

Solar, Wind, I wish. Seriously how would you ever power such a large amount of high amp lights from either? while still being comparable in cost to grid power? I'd think any such system at present would cost 10-20 years to repay just what you may have saved in power costs, by that time you'd be looking at a new install to replace damaged hardware. On a side note, it seems most authorities are limiting how big a system you can install on residential properties (from rebates limited to certain size systems to rules on % of roof covered) I believe in an effort to keep society dependent on mains power. (and hence coal plants)

Sica,At least where im at the trick is not to produce all of your power but to produce enough that it keeps you in the lower cheap tiers so your not getting ass raped at the .31 a kwh high tier,my lowest tier is .13 a kwh and my highest is .31 a kwh so it makes a huge difference,it can be almost 3 times as expensive!I dont know how much you would need to produce to run a multi light grow but im sure its alot.I also agree ROI is 10-20 years with normal households but it think ROI is alot quicker if your growing and using alot more power than normal.

 

[reeldrag]

fishwhistle is right about one thing. ASS RAPE is a common practice here in hawaii by the power companys 44 cent a kwh. yes I'm standing as I type this cuz my ass hurts to bad to sit. oh and helco is asking the state for another rate increase I heard a rumer thou that they were gonna start sending a packet of K Y out with every power bill :eek:

 

[COCOLOCO]

socal commercial .13/kwh no teirs.. Use to pay .35/kwh in residential tier..
I pay about $75/light/mo in flower rooms including ac.
$115/light/mo veg room.

 

[purpleberry]

I should get a xmas card this year from the power company. LOL
Winter is coming up in a few months, The best way to save cash on heating cost is to vent your lights into the house some how.

 

[groundscore]

upper midwest, ranging from .11 cents to .16 cents throughout the year. usually ends up running me right over a hundo per 1000w(inc. ventilation and cooling).

 

[NorCalGrower]

700$ for 4000 watts, house ac, portable ac, fridge, computer

 

[Organicyumyum]

In LA we deal with LADWP and things are tiered. It's INSANE how much I pay for electric. I need to get out of the residential and get into a commercial spot. My last run was 4k with fans, AC running and a chiller....my bill was around 2500 for the whole run.

that sounds about right, maybe even higher

 

[xrob415x]

up here in oakland we got PG&E. Commercial rates and residential rates are drastically different. Residential rates are on a tier system and the more electricity you use you get put up on a higher tier and get charged WAY more KWH cost. I met one man with a 9k watt set up with a/c cooling his bill was $2000 a month!!!!! I seen it with my own eyes. Some of this was due to living costs (tv, fridge ect). On the other hand I know someone with a commercial 14k watt setup with in n out vents and his bill is $1000 a month. HUGE difference

 

[Phillthy]

$.11/kwh. 6k total runs about $250-$300/month

 

[Svenghalli]

Socal Edison, 1700mo 8k flower, 1K vege, 25000 but window ac converted to run inside. 14" can fan to scrub the air

 

[paulycali]

$1200 Month

8k Flower 1200w Veg

T-5 x2 Clones/Seedlings

Mini Splits x2

10" Fans x2

8" Fans x2

Oscillating Fans x6

 

[caregiverken]

28 cents a kYh :mad:

 

[Animal Chin]

Ha!

3.5 cents/kWh, bitches!

Go Big Oil! w00t w00t w00t :)

That woot woot woot is very familiar.

My bills around $750

3200 watts in lights plus fans,blowers,ac,dehuey and koi pond

 

[woodsmaneh]

For my one setup I pay $1,250.00 a month to run 16 1000w and related equipment. I pay 7.8 to 9.5 per kWh and just got a letter saying transmission costs are going up 25% over the next 2 years. So in 2 years I will be paying an extra 312$ a month more. The cost is only going to go up so I am starting to plan. Solar is not effective for what we do so I have come up with a plan.

The first part of my plan is to purchase a induction light 430 w which does a 4x4. I don't think they can compeat with a 1000w HPS but the one I have seen is abot 80% and with the cost reductions of 70% the pay back for me is months.

Why induction you say, don't get hot so cooling is not an issue, last 10 years and you lose no PAR. &05 reduction in electricity use for me = $1000.00 in my pocket. So keep an eye out for my grow.

here is a link