For the ones who have 1000w HPS setups and more, how do you guys avoid the hydro company finding patterns in your electrical consumptions? I know the amount isnt really that significant, but what i'm more worried is that them seeing a pattern like for 18 hours the hydro goes up then down each day starting and ending at the same . Then later on it's 12/12 also at the same times of the day. Any inputs?

well i dont think the any Hydro company had a way of telling how much electricity you use, but if you ment to say electric company i dont think they have any way of telling when your lights turn on and off, they just add up how many kw you have used for the month

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There's Gonna Be Alot Of Slow Singin
And Flower Bringin
If My Burgular Alarm Starts Ringin

The electric company is a business, and just like any other capitalist entity, they only want one thing: money. If your electricity useage spikes suddenly, just make sure you are paying your bill on time. As long as they're getting their money for the power you are consuming, they couldn't care any less what you're using it for.

Now, if there are other signs coming from your residence which indicate you are growing (smell, excessive heat being vented from the premesis, you told somebody you were growing, etc.) and law enforcement gets wind of it, they will undoubtedly subpeona your profile from the power company and use those spikes in useage as evidence against you.

Just make sure your grow is stealthy and you're paying your bills on time each month and you shouldn't have any problems.

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Let he who is not stoned cast the first sin.

Smile and grow peace,

-SS

well ill tell you this .
I was at the trial of a friend and they showed the 12/12 pattern of power usage and that was an important part of their case.
and this was provided by the power company way..............before any warrant was ever issued.!!!just so you know

Hydro(electric) is the elec company. In other countries then USA (yes, there is a WHOLE other world outside of Amerika) it can have different names (think 'the tube' for subway, the loo for bathroom)

Not all electric companies are privatively owned. Some are even own by the local or central governments. Even in the US.

Plus, remember AT&T just letting the feds in to do their wire taping with no qualms?

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The Temporary Relief Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor. Carmelisous Jornl :: ElecUsageCostsCalc (now with carbon footprint) :: FloroTubeCompendium ::

You know, I've wanted to grow for the longest time. I have a house here with my best friend of 10 years, and we both would love to grow, but are severely paranoid about the whole raid situation. Obviously it's possible to grow large amounts at home safely, I just don't know how. I mean, i've been reading up on the GrowFaq and The Growers Bible, but I'm not sure how to protect myself against raids. I know you're not supposed to tell anyone but I know I can trust my friend, we've been in trouble together so many times lol. Does anyone have like a set of guidelines, or could you point me in the direction of some guidelines for grow security? Much appreciated.

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On behalf of Seriously Stoned and Potheads Worldwide, I officially declare war on the war on drugs

The only 100% sure fire way to avoid a raid is don't do it. Dont do ANYTHING that might attract the cops attention. Of course, that's a pretty boring lifestyle and still leaves you buying whatever generic schwag you can find to smoke, while we who do grow have connoisseur grade pot.
Your single biggest security risk will be your partner. You may THINK you can trust him 100%, but you can't. Facing time does weird things to peoples heads, and when faced with the old "Save yourself, tell us about him" routine, I can just about guarantee he'll sell you out in a heartbeat.
Power Co CAN see patterns of usage. But as long as you pay your bill and aren't stealing power, they could care less. If a cop gets wind of your grow, he can go to them to check your usage for more evidence, but they (the Hydro Co) will not generally rat you out on their own.

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You can lead a Horticulture....But you can't make her think!!!!

Flowering patterns are noticeable by nature... If the electric company sees you going 12/12 they will know. Keep your mouth shut, and pay your bills on time. There are grow houses pulling a lot more from the system than you could imagine, and they never get busted.

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this is why im seriously thinking of going solar or wind power
for just my 400w HID light...
leave my veg room on 24/7 .. theres no way to tell what i run all day .. computers most likely ...
and when i do 12/12 it will just be coming out of batteries and the hole system would pay for it self within 2 years

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That aint a half bad idea. I looked at some solar power solutions, we really do wanna be off the power grid anyway. But as of last year, they were HIGH as hell for a decent solar panel system. I'd like to be able to run my house, about 3000w of HID, and still sell some back to TVA.

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You can lead a Horticulture....But you can't make her think!!!!