How much is your electric bill????

i live in a small 4 bedroom house... i use about 4000 KW-hrs per month and pay $300-400.

i checked my friends bill - in a similar sized house with 3 dudes living in it and they use 700 KW-hrs per month

on the upside, i just run my 2KW at night, and recirculate the warm exhaust air through my house, so the gas furnace rarely comes on... my gas bill is never more than $100.. usually in the 60s...

Right now, gas is 240, electric, about 150, probably go up to 200 at most this winter. I am running 2 105 W CFL's, one 400 Watts HPS, a 500 Watt heater (when lights out, and 26 watt fan. That's it...

I think we oughta just bomb there assews and take the damn oil lol.. But of course NATO would never go for it.. I really hope the U.S. starts moving toward alterative fuels.. Its really the only logical choice .

peace bro.

BloodShot420 said:

i live in a small 4 bedroom house... i use about 4000 KW-hrs per month and pay $300-400.

i checked my friends bill - in a similar sized house with 3 dudes living in it and they use 700 KW-hrs per month

on the upside, i just run my 2KW at night, and recirculate the warm exhaust air through my house, so the gas furnace rarely comes on... my gas bill is never more than $100.. usually in the 60s...

Click to expand...

Wait, you recirculate the Air from your growroom into your house. Wouldn't that be a stupid thing to do interms of Oder control. What if the Man comes to check the water meter or something.
I actully got bagged like that.

IslandGreenGuy said:

Wait, you recirculate the Air from your growroom into your house. Wouldn't that be a stupid thing to do interms of Oder control. What if the Man comes to check the water meter or something.
I actully got bagged like that.

Click to expand...

Carbon filter?

In the room where I have my grow closet there is no vent for forced air. We have a 48" baseboard heater, but its been turned off. The blower pushing air out of my closet from the heat of a 400w MH running 24/7 keep that room nice and warm.

I was running a 400W MH 18/6.. my local rate is $0.10 per kw-hour; I just switched to 12/12 HPS. My bill didn't go up one cent from the same month last year -- it was almost dead-on. Why? I'm keeping the house about 3-4 degrees cooler to keep the grow room at 76-80F, and I swapped out all my household incandescents for CFL's. So, there's a strategy for ya...

AJ Toker said:

Carbon filter?

In the room where I have my grow closet there is no vent for forced air. We have a 48" baseboard heater, but its been turned off. The blower pushing air out of my closet from the heat of a 400w MH running 24/7 keep that room nice and warm.

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Now that I think about it, that was a dumb question. I also have a carbon filter. Not a very good one, but none the less a carbon filter. I used to have my 400 watter in the closet in our room, I know what you mean it was like 80 degees in our room.

i filter out the smell, not the heat

i actually have the heat from the lights only dumped into the garage... it would get 2 hot if i let that stay in the house... the actual atmosphere in the room gets circulated through the house... its pretty dry, and doesnt smell when it comes out... it should also elevate the co2 levels a little bit, but i'm not sure yet because i dont have a meter hooked up (YET!)

BloodShot420 said:

i actually have the heat from the lights only dumped into the garage... it would get 2 hot if i let that stay in the house... the actual atmosphere in the room gets circulated through the house... its pretty dry, and doesnt smell when it comes out... it should also elevate the co2 levels a little bit, but i'm not sure yet because i dont have a meter hooked up (YET!)

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What are you using cool tubes? I don't use them because it's the winter time and we grow in a unheated home. So, we need the added heat. our veg room dumps some of it's heat intothe flowering room when they are in light out. we use use a 6" duct fan to do it.
Problem is that without the cool tubes, I can't get as close as I want to the plants, I might invest ina light mover, but for now i'll just deal with it. Come april, I'll put on the cool tubes and hook up the Air conditioner.

i just use vented hoods... 6" inline fan to push air over lights and heat garage...

4" inline fan to push air through carbon filter and into house...

(the green arrows are uvb lights )

BloodShot420 said:

i just use vented hoods... 6" inline fan to push air over lights and heat garage...

4" inline fan to push air through carbon filter and into house...

(the green arrows are uvb lights )

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Thats a good set up. Is it working out alright for you. What about in cold months, no problems?

Mine is way too high on a little bitty house and I'm using CFL's. I think what is killing me is the electric heater to keep things toasty. Growing in an unheated but fairly well insulated out building type contraption. Figgered out last summer it really too hot to do much good that time of year..and sure can't afford to run an AC for em. Fortunantly I have developed a good contact to buy some. I may give up this stoopid hobby.

Big Wheel

When I start I will be using

225w of CLFs (actual power)

about $10/month just for the lights




14.3KW = 14300w if I am correct

IslandGreenGuy said:

Thats a good set up. Is it working out alright for you. What about in cold months, no problems?

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oh yeah it works perfectly... it actually works better in the colder months - there is a central ac duct that goes into there too, it provides heat or air, about the same temp as the house... the AC helps a lot in the summer... i have a portable 1 ton if i need it tho.

bigwheel said:

Mine is way too high on a little bitty house and I'm using CFL's. I think what is killing me is the electric heater to keep things toasty. Growing in an unheated but fairly well insulated out building type contraption. Figgered out last summer it really too hot to do much good that time of year..and sure can't afford to run an AC for em. Fortunantly I have developed a good contact to buy some. I may give up this stoopid hobby.

Big Wheel

Click to expand...

At least we know your not selling it. If that were the case you could affort the AC. Don't give up yet, that would be supid. Keep it up and try to find a better location to do you dirty work. In the summer, run your lights at night with several strong fans blowing. Leave the fans on during the day, while the lights are out. It might help with the heat problems your having.

BloodShot420 said:

oh yeah it works perfectly... it actually works better in the colder months - there is a central ac duct that goes into there too, it provides heat or air, about the same temp as the house... the AC helps a lot in the summer... i have a portable 1 ton if i need it tho.

Click to expand...

Not bad. I just ordered this AC http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=89279-63607-PACT110P&lpage=none

It wan't cheap, but I don't have a window where we grow so I had to vent it with a hose outside. It's really a great unit for grows. Without it growing wouldn't be possible in the heat.

damn thats expensive lol

wow... that one is expensive. i got mine for 550 shipped... i dont remember where i got it, but it was online...

also, i dont see the exhaust on there, is that a single hose or dual hose unit?

i have an 8000 BTU single hose unit, but it pumps air from in the grow over the coils to cool them off, then outside... which makes your grow room negatively pressurized, but your exhaust REEKS of warm buds...

i also have the 12000 BTU dual hose unit that brings air IN one hose, cools the coils and blows air OUT the 2nd hose... and does not affect the pressure of your grow room... which is ideal, and does not exhaust unfiltered air.

those shits draw more current than a 1KW light... but you dont have a choice in some places...