Optimal veg room lights

Hey guys rebuilding my veg room to get more sqft going from 3.5x7.5 to a 6x8 and was using a 1000w mh light previously but dont wanna waste the energy like I was. considering led but dont know the most cost effective route to go thinking hlg but am open to ideas thanks.

Well that all depends on your budget

Trying to be 600 and under

I dont know much about LEDs, but I'm pretty sure you wont get nearly the wattage that you get from your 1000 watt mh for just 600 bucks. I believe good LEDs equivalent to that much light would be more than 600

If I was in the position, 4x 600w or 4x 1000w. 600$ isn't enough for good leds. Not sure what the diy ppl have to say about it

T macc said:

.... Not sure what the diy ppl have to say about it

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I haven't priced strips for 2 years so take my estimate with appropriate skepticism, but I expect you'd spend ~$500 for a 1000w strip build, and I wouldn't put less than 2000w on this space.

This room will be strictly veg before they move to my flower room they veg for 8 to 10 weeks before being moved my budget can be flexible if theres a good option but I couldnt do any more than $1000 comfortably I'm also trying to decrease my electric bill in this process to save money there from the 1000w mh which seems to be a waste of light and energy for the clones and early veg plants

Going with a quality LED may be costly but it can save energy in multiple ways.

1) It draws less power to light a given area.
2) It generates less heat saving on the cooling costs (especially if using AC)
3) You actually need to run warmer temps due to the lack of IR (saving on cooling again)

Don't bother with cheap LED lights or you will be wasting money. Either go right to the good stuff or stick with the HID.

I dunno how much you pay per kWh where you are but you may wanna sit down and do the math to estimate how long it will take for the electrical savings and replacement bulb savings to cover the cost of a light you are considering. If it's greater than 2 years skip it. Good lights IMO include Timber and HLG.

Alright appreciate the input guys went ahead and pulled the trigger on a diy hlg 550 with v2 boards I know this will fall just short of the space I need but in total parts cost me ~500 and I can use my less intense section to keep mother's since they dont need a lot of light and my main veg area will be the 6x6 that this light should cover thanks again