question regarding the good ol' electricity bill

[G_48911]

taking into account that i do everything i can to conserve energy,(even take my clothes to the laundrymat) how much of a spike can i expect in my bill if i'm running either 2 400 watt hps's or a 1,000 watt hps,a water pump,and a couple fans? i'm not looking for an exact #..just a guesstimate. thanks-G_48911

 

[bigbudsbruddah]

2 400watts will prolly raise your bill 30-40 bucks. My 400 watter raised mine $15-$20

 

[LowRider]

not sure but i would think you could do without lights for awhile and unplug non essential electronics (even non used plugged in electronics are still using power). i would guess you should be alright. with the lights I'd be more worried about the cops with a heat sensor. And depending on where you live people run air conditioner all day long its summer time.

here's a calculator for you hxxp://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/electric.cgi?submit=Entry

 

[snuggles]

hxxp://www.anapsid.org/electricitycost.html

Scroll down a bit and you will see how to figure out the cost. There's a better site but I can't recall what it's called.

 

[smokybear]

It shouldnt be much more than 50 bucks in your bill running the 1k. My 400 watt raises my bill about 20 bucks a month running it 24/7. Hope this helps. Take care and be safe.

 

[Aym777]

I Wouldn't go 2 the extreme by taking my clothes 2 the laundramat.....A Refridgerator that is running 24/0 only costs about $20.00 a month....so i Would figure a Washer and dryer that is used maybe tWice a Week on average isn't going 2 put a dent in your bill.....Just have 2 deal With the extra 30 - 45 dollar difference....

 

[gagjababy]

as a rule of thumb a 1000 watt run 24/7 for a month will raise your bill $100 likwise a 400 24/7 will be $40 a month increase....

 

[Hydro]

with my a/c, 600 watt, and vent going on along with other minor stuff, raised it $100+

 

[nickname]

to give yourself a rough idea all you have to do is get a recent electric bill and find out how much you are charged per k/w hour during the day and night, it is usually cheaper at night.

if your electric bill is 10 cents an hour then roughly without anyone getting picky over 30 watts or whatever its going to cost you roughly 40% of that for a 400w and 60% for a 600w and 100% for a 1000w, thats how much its going to cost you roughly, with a few watts out here or there for efficiency

then you can figure out how many hours your going to use it for in a month if you got 1 week of veg this month and then switch to flower then you can easily figure out for all eventualities roughly what things are going to set you back electricity wise.

if your runninga 600w and your electric is 10 cents than 6 cents an hour for a 600w doesn't even sound that bad

good luck man

 

[G_48911]

thanks to all you guys,i apprecitate it

 

[NorCalHal]

It rea;;y depends on where u live, but I can tell you for a 1000w it's about $30. The pumps and fans are really minimal.
And no, cops do not drive or fly around in helicopters over residential neighborhoods with heat sensors looking for folks growing.

You have to spike your bill at least 4-500 before any kind of flag is thrown. That means, if your regular bill is 200, it would have to jump to 6-700 before you have to worry.

I run 4, 1000w and my total house bill averages 400-500 ( I have a 2 story big home). Been here 7 years.

 

[ezdavedawg]

easy solution go out to your electricity meter drill a little hole in the bottom of the glass covering and stick a small stick in the turning wheels hole...no more high bill

 

[Fadeux]

Look on your bill for what you pay for a kw/h (Kilowatt hour)

A Kilowatt hour is 1000w that burns for 1 hour. If you pay $0.10 per kw/h then your 2x400w (=800 w) will cost you exactly $.08 per hour. Your 1000w will cost exactly 10 cents an hour. You can then mulitply that by how long per day you are running it, then multiply by the number of days in the month. It's really simple math.

Oh, and as far as "Heat detection" goes, the equipment they use to monitor that doesn't work during daylight hours, so adjust your timers accordingly if you are actually worried about that. I've never heard of anyone getting clipped because of a random infrared sweep, but would love to see some stories if anyone has any links.

 

[Fadeux]

It rea;;y depends on where u live, but I can tell you for a 1000w it's about $30. The pumps and fans are really minimal.
And no, cops do not drive or fly around in helicopters over residential neighborhoods with heat sensors looking for folks growing.

You have to spike your bill at least 4-500 before any kind of flag is thrown. That means, if your regular bill is 200, it would have to jump to 6-700 before you have to worry.

I run 4, 1000w and my total house bill averages 400-500 ( I have a 2 story big home). Been here 7 years.

Is it the quanity that sends up flags, or the timing of the increased consumption? I've been told that your bill doesn't have to increase dramatically, they can just look for 12 or 18 hour increased usage and thatll send up some flags. I have no idea if its true, just what ive heard.

 

[Runbyhemp]

easy solution go out to your electricity meter drill a little hole in the bottom of the glass covering and stick a small stick in the turning wheels hole...no more high bill

I wouldn't reccommend messing with your meter. Stealing electricity isn't good.

 

[Fadeux]

I wouldn't reccommend messing with your meter. Stealing electricity isn't good.

No kidding, look at these pics

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/tags/pot-bust/

These guys had a whole underground cave, hidden hydrolic door in their closet, and even a hidden escape hatch from the underground room.

How did they get caught you ask? Apparently, they were stealing electricity from their neighbors. I don't know if its true or not, hard to believe a setup this intricate would get busted on something so stupid, but its possible.

 

[NorCalHal]

I have never heard of the timing thing, but quantity for sure will throw up flags. But we are talking at least 8-1000's, imho.

Is it the quanity that sends up flags, or the timing of the increased consumption? I've been told that your bill doesn't have to increase dramatically, they can just look for 12 or 18 hour increased usage and thatll send up some flags. I have no idea if its true, just what ive heard.

 

[LowRider]

yeah timing has nothing to do with it. they couldn't tell if you just leave lights on or have the air conditioner running or what. its based on maximum watts used. what they will see is a sharp increase in your watts what then will send up a flag. lets say you average 50watts per year, then all of a sudden use 150, that would send up a flag. (i know houses use more but this is an example). so like i said above unplug any electronics that aren't being used (they will still consume power even off), don't turn lights if it can be helped. little things like this will help you out. Another thing i was reading that you could do if money isn't an object to you, is slowly turn on electronics on and leave them on for periods of the time. that way your electric company won't get suspicious cause its a slow increase. who to say you didn't install more lighting, big deep freezer, or a few TVs (LCD run more power than older TVs), then of course this being summer (at-least in the south) we like air-conditioners so that right there will spike the bill dramatically. but like i said its summer time so a spike might not send any flags.

I have never heard of the timing thing, but quantity for sure will throw up flags. But we are talking at least 8-1000's, imho.

 

[Trent45]

easy solution go out to your electricity meter drill a little hole in the bottom of the glass covering and stick a small stick in the turning wheels hole...no more high bill

By far one of the dumbest things I have heard in a while.

 

[Hick]

By far one of the dumbest things I have heard in a while.

heee hee hee.. davedawg is probably doing time for electricity theft by now..