Hey dudes..Was just considering the cost of running a 600 watt hps...is there anyone out there who uses these lights that can give me a rough idea how much extra a month the electricity bill will be...i plan to run 2 in the near future..i hear stories sometimes that the fuzz(cops) get onto some growers by there large electricity bill...anyone heard anything like that?? cheers
An extra 1,200 watts shouldn't raise any eyebrows, unless you live in a tiny apt. Look at your elec bill. See how much they charge per Kw/hr (a Kw is a kilowatt (1,000 watts). It's prob around 15 cents/hr. Then do the math. You'll have the lights on full-time for veg, half the time (12/12) during flowering.
Two times 600w is 1.2KW this is about the same as one bar on a electric fire. Certainly not enough for any utility company to notice.
Most electric fires bars are 1Kw. I.e Two 600W lights will consume the same amount of electricity. Youll have to sharpen up there chimpy.
yeah wtf is an electric fire bar.. im glad someone else asked cuz I thought I was just stupid for a min
A bar on an electric far is the insulated rod with wire wrapped around its the part that gives of the heat. Each bar is normally 1Kw. So if it has two bars its a 2KW electric fire. This must just be just a common term in the UK.
Obviously, So what happens; you walk into the corner general store and tell the clerk, "OY! The weather man says it's going to be a three bar night, AA, I only 'ave one please sell me 2 bars, blimey, make that 3 bars just in case!
as an independant and noit an organized crime figure, wouldnt they need a warrant to get yer electric records anyway? aviod suspicion and they would never look. The infrared from the helocoptor (if yer local popo's have a helo) would be a bigger give away.
Nope. They dont need a warrant to look @ records. Typically the Elec Co will flag high usage themselves and send a tech out. OR in some cities, just call the cops right off. IRFL doesn't happen UNLESS they have a warrant. Your best bet, is to monitor your usage, if you ARE growing commercially, we're talking 8000w or more here imo, then chances are you have a generator, or are stealing your electricity. If you have central air/heat in your home however.... turn that shit off and keep growing. Those setups use at least 1500KWH a month with ease. I had one before and it wasn't uncommon to have a 2000kwh bill.