the cheapest route

I plan to grow in a small closet of a typical single apartment. I figure I will be able to put 2-3 smaller plants in that space. I used to have a photoron which worked great but I had to get rid of it and now I don't want a paper trail or have another one delivered, they are bulky ( paranioa will destroy you). Out of all the sites I've checked this one seems to have the more knowledgable people on it, and freindliest. My question is what is the best route to go to control my electricity bill and still get descent bud. I'm not wanting to use hps or hallide because of the heat put off. It would be very easy to set that small space up in flames and the bills would blow up. I've heard many advocates of t5's. I've checked out led's like the ufo's but I haven't got any conclusive reports from anyone who has actually had experience with them or knows someone who has, just a bunch of speculation from those who want to comment on that which they know nothing about( my pet peeve). Anyone can compare words written on paper, and most usually do. I need to know which way to go from the experienced. Remember, I do know how to grow bud once I've got a set up, but getting that set up is another story. I am humble and wholeheartedly appreciate any advice you guys can offer. p.s I'll most likely be using reflectors or even just tin foil to help out, if that will make the difference.

keep in mind 400 watts is = to 400 watts
no mater if its cfl's, leds, hps, or mh
and all lights produce heat the higher the watts are
the power bill dont know if you have a 400w cfl running or a 400w space heater, or a 400w mini fridge or a 400w desktop pc, 400w hps to them it all the same
if your just going to end up buying 600w of led's you might as well get a 600w hps
you'll thank my later for it

T5 are a good, but they are rather pricey........a good alternative are t8's, they sell them at wal mart or home depot for a lot less........you can use cfls as well...I prefer the long tubes myself....never flowered with the t8's but they grow nice compact bushy plants in my veg room. which can be compared to mh grown plants...and I have seen many grows with fluorescent lights to tell you they can produce nice buds......just got to use side lighting......Soil?? Hydro??

I would like to greatly thank you guys for the advice, you make good points and give food for thought. I have started to consider the possibility of mixing/ matching lights. Maybe a lower powered hid with supplemental cfl's or a high quality led with hid bulbs( if they come in 20-30 watt). I'm told they do but I haven't seen it on any lightbulb site that I've been too. What do you think ? I almost forgot to mention, I'll
be using soil. Eventually I'll add nutrients and maybe foliar feed, can't say for sure.

I've found a 250w MH/HPS light is pretty perfect for my closet. Heat hasn't been an issue with a fan blowing at the top of my plants whenever the light is on. I priced it out and the HID light wasn't all that much more expensive than buying a bunch of CFLs and the lamps to put them in, it was only about $170.

The more I think about it the more I'm looking at getting a lower level MH/HPS and supplementing with flouros on the sides. What I really want to do is have a constant sytem set up so I can be veg a plant while one is flowering. I have to be able to divide the energy that I can afford. I don't need giant yeilds, just enough to keep me smoking. I'm a relatively light smoker compared to most people i know. About 1/8 a week. Anyone have any idea what that will require ?

....thats about half ounce a month.......you could easily achieve that with a 250 watt without having a perpetual grow......

the perpetual grow idea is so that I can keep the strain going. Once I get feminisized seeds I want to keep each one going as long as possible. If someone knows a better way that will also save me cash than i'd love to know.

after doing all my homework and talking to several people on here who definately know what they're doing and were very helpful ( thanks guys) i have decided that I will use 250 watt lights. 1 mh for veg and one hps to flower. The 3by3 space recommended will be great for two plants under each, I have heard of people doing more but for now that will be my base. As I grow more experienced and have my training technique down I will take full advantage of it. This will also allow me to keep the perpetual growth going on to preserve the strain and not totally kill my electric . The biggest challenge will be timing my plants so they all get the right amount of vegging and flowering, kinda like a production line with a conveyer belt, not to fast or two slow but I've learned that no matter how much research you do ( which is never a bad thing), sometimes you just have to be there in the situation. I may say that out of all the sites i gone over backwards and forwards this one is the best. peace