Power Consumption / Light Cost

Magic Mike

Magic Mike

Well-Known Member
Pg&e sure likes their electricity @ .40 / kwh.

Now they are imposing a new "excessive usage tax" they call it, to take effect in March. estimated @ 10% increase.

So .44 /kwh . I think Pg&e is the most expensive electricity in the world . Is anybody else paying .44 per kwh???
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Magic Mike said:
Pg&e sure likes their electricity @ .40 / kwh.

Now they are imposing a new "excessive usage tax" they call it, to take effect in March. estimated @ 10% increase.

So .44 /kwh . I think Pg&e is the most expensive electricity in the world . Is anybody else paying .44 per kwh???
Click to expand...
Hawaii.

With prices like those, you'll want to make a serious investment in LED tuned to achieve the highest efficiency possible; running lots of chips at 25% or less of their max rated output. This would be expensive on initial startup but would save you money for the entire time you use them, very likely paying for themselves in reduced power consumption costs several times over.

This also has the benefit of needing a lot less active cooling; in many facilities, they use more power to run the HVAC than they do for the lights themselves! Double win.
 
Magic Mike

Magic Mike

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
Hawaii.

With prices like those, you'll want to make a serious investment in LED tuned to achieve the highest efficiency possible; running lots of chips at 25% or less of their max rated output. This would be expensive on initial startup but would save you money for the entire time you use them, very likely paying for themselves in reduced power consumption costs several times over.

This also has the benefit of needing a lot less active cooling; in many facilities, they use more power to run the HVAC than they do for the lights themselves! Double win.
Click to expand...
Right now I am very much liking DE 1000's . I just haven't seen LED come close in bud size, density, and quality compared to a DE 1000. I do run a lot of air cooled 1000's mainly because of AC limits on my current set up. But, my next build will be warehouse preferably with all DE 1000's. I've also been playing with LEC 315 for supp lights.

I could be wrong, and I haven't been keeping up with the advancement in LED tech, but I was real impressed with a DE 1000 compared to an air cooled. I also think the glass in air cooled hoods is blocking out some light spectrums as bare bulbs seems to grow better overall product ime.

I should look into LED more though, I just outfitted my home with all LED in the recessed lighting, etc., and the savings is 85% less electricity and brighter rooms overall, seems much brighter, but I went from 2.1k to 5k.

Have you compared DE 1000's to LED's?
 
1

1brokebrother

New Member
everyone knows utility rates are lower during off peak hours however did you also know you have to apply for these lower rates.?.. PG&E DOESN'T give them to you without a request...they're called ..TOU=Time of use... E6 or E7 rates..and if your grow is large enough they can offer you agricultrual rates too...call them directly and ask about TOU=Time of use... E6 or E7 rates..
 
M

mjinc

Well-Known Member
Wow some of you you guys are paying a fortune for electricity. I guess I'm pretty l only pay about $0.06 KWh
 
frica

frica

Well-Known Member
I've seen 23w CFLs for 3 dollar a piece.

A philips 13w (100w equiv) 5 dollar bulb can directly replace a 23w cfl, without diffuser it's directional which should be an advantage in most cases, and is quasi-omnidirectional with the diffuser on.

Here electricity is 0.18 dollar every kwh.
The CFL costs (10/1000*0.18) 0.0018 dollars per hour more.

The difference in price between the 2 bulbs is about 2 dollars.
So after 1111 hours of being on the LED bulb and CFL bulb have become equally expensive.
After it the LED becomes increasingly cheaper relative to the CFL.

If you use the bulbs to veg, the LED bulb will be the cheaper after around 62 veg days.(18/6)
If you use the bulbs for both veg and flower, the LED will be cheaper after the first plant.

Even if the CFL bulb is free, the LED will be cheaper after 154 veg days (2770 hours), which should be around 5 veg cycles.
Which is only 5 months.

The philips bulb is really efficient though, with most current led bulbs the difference isn't as dramatic.

But it just shows that CFL isn't really cheap anymore.
 
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ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
frica said:
I've seen 23w CFLs for 3 dollar a piece.

A philips 13w (100w equiv) 5 dollar bulb can directly replace a 23w cfl, without diffuser it's directional which should be an advantage in most cases, and is quasi-omnidirectional with the diffuser on.

Here electricity is 0.18 dollar every kwh.
The CFL costs (10/1000*0.18) 0.0018 dollars per hour more.

The difference in price between the 2 bulbs is about 2 dollars.
So after 1111 hours of being on the LED bulb and CFL bulb have become equally expensive.
After it the LED becomes increasingly cheaper relative to the CFL.

If you use the bulbs to veg, the LED bulb will be the cheaper after around 62 veg days.(18/6)
If you use the bulbs for both veg and flower, the LED will be cheaper after the first plant.

Even if the CFL bulb is free, the LED will be cheaper after 154 veg days (2770 hours), which should be around 5 veg cycles.
Which is only 5 months.

The philips bulb is really efficient though, with most current led bulbs the difference isn't as dramatic.

But it just shows that CFL isn't really cheap anymore.
Click to expand...
Plug better growth performance and product quality due to better spectrum output into that equation and LED pays for itself on the first crop.
 
R

ResinLip

Member
Hi folks. Cool sticky thread. As a noob here, I would like to offer up a night time wattage video I just made. I have been growing for a while but just stepped up my game in terms of electronics. The Kill A Watt PS was a welcome device. I have my entire (admittedly small) operation plugged into it, including my S&B Volcano.

My night cycle is 85 watts 24x7x365 and 68watts when the exhaust fan kicks on.

 
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