How much power can I use before it becomes suspicious?

I currently run:

180w LED
Small 6" fan
Low power air pump to supply two bubblers

But I'd love to buy an extra 500w LED panel to complete the set-up. I already have a plasma TV which is meant to use some 300-600w whenever it's on, and all my power at home is electricity (no gas).

It's a one-bedroom apartment, so I'm wondering what I can push before it becomes suspicious. I'm based in the UK, if that makes any difference to likelihoods etc.

I THINK suspisions are only aroused if (a) There's electricity going missing (b) There's a large amount, by large I mean what would be a commercial set up.
Your complete set up would only be around 700 watts, so I shouldn't worry...just stay aware.
Of course you could take your plasma screen outside and execute it for crimes against humanity, which would save you around about enough electricity for one grow room!

Ha - I actually joked to my friend that the point where I consider swapping TV for LED is pretty much where "the line" lies.

as long as you pay on time the electric company doesn't give a fuck what your doing

buy an led tv save some power and add a light

ledgrowing said:

buy an led tv save some power and add a light

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Nah, my plasma destroys most LEDs unless I were to pay 3x the price! As much as I like my smoking, I like my viewing accompaniment to the smoke too!

I agree with SnakierGrizzly. For all they know you could have set up AC, a new fish tank maybe...or even added an extension to the house or something. They are worried about one thing only..money. Pay on time and your fine. They are also looking for people stealing power.

plasma tv are out dated my friend they done even make them anymore lg led tv or samsung are the best unless you like 3d plasma is out but you keep what you think is good if it makes you happy

People that state "as long as you pay on time" really have NO clue about how your power company can bring you down. I'm not going to get into technology and debates over the issue, because the myth that as long as the bill is paid on time is heavily perpetrated on this site. I suggest those that are serious about security do a little searching. There are stories all over the net about how cops busted a grow due to a tip from the Electric company... The war on drugs is real... cops know that grows are going on in their area... Electric companies are their partners. Meter readers have been trained to be alert and what to look out for. For that matter, so have UPS and FED EX drivers... While I personally think most of us have nothing to worry about with regards to our power consumption, those that are using entire bedrooms or an entire basement and have had to make electrical modifications or upgrades to support their grow, probably have a legitimate concern.

ledgrowing said:

plasma tv are out dated my friend they done even make them anymore lg led tv or samsung are the best unless you like 3d plasma is out but you keep what you think is good if it makes you happy

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I'd disagree. Panasonic's plasma range can top all but the most ridiculously expensive LEDs. Certainly when it comes to fluidity and blacks. But this is an aside, so let's not bore everyone.

Serapis said:

While I personally think most of us have nothing to worry about with regards to our power consumption, those that are using entire bedrooms or an entire basement and have had to make electrical modifications or upgrades to support their grow, probably have a legitimate concern.

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So a corner of a room is hardly gonna be obvious with say even 1000w of light and no other electricals? I certainly don't want an entire room! More like 1m x 1m x 2m at largest.

If you aren't modifying your electrical wiring in the house, the thread is moot....

Oh wow. I've been discouraged from even going to 500w LED so that's pretty fantastic news.

And legally binding, eh?

I don't think a 500w increase is enough to trigger a flag imo, a new tv or other electronic equipment setup would easily cover that much. If you're really concerned, just try to make sure other stuff gets shut off when not in use. I think a 180-200 kWh increase on the bill is very minor(if my math is wrong, someone please correct me but i believe 500w * 12 hrs is 6 kWh)

Serapis said:

People that state "as long as you pay on time" really have NO clue about how your power company can bring you down. I'm not going to get into technology and debates over the issue, because the myth that as long as the bill is paid on time is heavily perpetrated on this site. I suggest those that are serious about security do a little searching. There are stories all over the net about how cops busted a grow due to a tip from the Electric company... The war on drugs is real... cops know that grows are going on in their area... Electric companies are their partners. Meter readers have been trained to be alert and what to look out for. For that matter, so have UPS and FED EX drivers... While I personally think most of us have nothing to worry about with regards to our power consumption, those that are using entire bedrooms or an entire basement and have had to make electrical modifications or upgrades to support their grow, probably have a legitimate concern.

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What he said. My wife works for our local electric company and I can tell you for sure that leo makes a yearly stop to update the employees on what to look for. You will not stand out by adding a 1000 watt set up or less because that amount of power can easily be used by many common household items. Examples would be a new freezer, pool pump, space heater ect. What they do look for are large increases in average power consumption. EVERY power company has the ability to trend your power consumption. They use this information to decide how much base power load they need to purchase to prevent them from reaching peak wattage at which time their cost per watt increases. More importantly to you is that they watch your power consumption trend to spot possible meter malfunctions. If they think there is a meter problem, they will send out a lineman to investigate. You don't need someone poking around. Another part of the meeting that leo has with the company employees is to ask linemen to be on the lookout for the tell tale signs of a grow. Good housekeeping is a must! Inside your fenced back yard you say? You'd be suprised what you can see from a bucket truck 40 feet in the air while working on a transformer. Anyway, you certinly could get away with more power consumption than even 1000w, but you most definitly increase your chances of being noticed. Mind your P&Q's and don't get greedy and you will be fine. One side note, as an electrician, let me say, don't be stupid when you are setting up your room! Don't overload your circuits! If your breaker pops, your circuit is overloaded or you have faulty equipment. Either way don't just reset the breaker and forget about it. 30 firemen traipsing through your smoking growroom are bound to notice something.

500 watts at 12 hrs is 6kwh, unless both of us have bad math damn, I pay 12.8 cents per kwh..... that shit adds up...

GottaHaveIt said:

I don't think a 500w increase is enough to trigger a flag imo, a new tv or other electronic equipment setup would easily cover that much. If you're really concerned, just try to make sure other stuff gets shut off when not in use. I think a 180-200 kWh increase on the bill is very minor(if my math is wrong, someone please correct me but i believe 500w * 12 hrs is 6 kWh)

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Tjhanks Droopy, I hope that puts an end to those myths about paying on time....

Hell, most elec companies offer you trending info online.... Your usage history and projections are readily available. Anyone that thinks sudden surges don't go unnoticed is fooling themselves. Just be smart about it. If you are having to rewire your house to grow, chances are you'll get noticed or the surge will be recorded and possibly flag the account for human inspection. If they suspect faulty equipment, they WILL send someone out and they do have the legal right to enter upon your property to inspect a meter or incoming line. If you simply MUST use that much additional power, put the hot water heater on a timer and have it shut it's self off when not in demand. Unplug all cell phone and battery rechargers, they eat up power even when not in use. Set your PC power settings to energy efficient. A sleeping PC wakes up pretty quickly and the savings add up over the year. Keep your freezer and fridge full, they'll run less. Turn off lights not in use.

There is a good chance a 2-3kwh spike can go unnoticed if you compensate in other areas.

I ran 3000 watts in a trailer and it was unnoticed,I watched my heat and my bill ran about 40 to 50 bucks higher than my nieghbors.A 400 watt HPS adds about 20 bucks a month for flowering

My bill for the previous 12 months ran up 5,500kwh, but the first quarter there was no grow, and second just 80w CFL, no fans or pumps. I browsed online and in the UK it seems a figure of 3,300kwh is listed as standard for a one-bedroom flat, although I read reports saying it was closer to 4,700kwh. It's worth noting that I run everything on electricity, so there's no gas. Which means that my place will be significantly higher in terms of use than your average person.

I'm hoping that they profile by building, so my neighbours with the same "no gas" setup will be used for comparison, but that sounds far too smart a thing for them to reasonably do.

Thanks for your post there, droopy - it's always great to throw something out there and get such a wealth of info back. Good old forums.

Right everything in my house is electric, hot water tank, stove, dryer, heat and everything else in the house. My bill will range from 145 dollars to 230 depends on if the heater kicks on all the time. Winter you might add space heaters. Summer time you will add A/C so I really dont think you will be caught by a bill. Someone will have to open there mouth to get there self in trouble. Summer time we let our water run for the kids to play and out pump is 220 so if you want make sure you set your lights to be on at night when you arnt using all the power for everything else.