"You use 27% more electricity than your neighbors"

ClaytonBigsby

ClaytonBigsby

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't worry about it. That line is created by a computer. It is for your information, in case you give a rats ass. 27% is not much. 77% could get some notice.
 
Kush70

Kush70

Well-Known Member
i agree if your pulling 27% more i'd get your wiring checked and check appliances - i cannot see how 250w 24/7 would use that much juice
 
bigv1976

bigv1976

Well-Known Member
People who are using single lights or a couple smaller lights shouldnt worry at all. Dont forget that things like electric heaters, a/c's and clothes dryers use more power alone than most people are using for their entire grow.
 
CEEJR

CEEJR

Well-Known Member
Which neighbor? Did your neighbor get one that said you used 27% less than your neighbor and do you have a smart meter on the house? My bill has a comparison to this time last year not my neighbor.
 
S

spleefed

Active Member
Your 250 watt lamp at 120 volts is pulling about 2 amps continuous. An old inefficient gas furnace (usually oversized) can pull as much as 7 to 8 amps continuous while running. A 1500 watt space heater will pull 12.5 amps continous. An overage of 27% as compared to neighbors is only to suggest that you may have appliances that are now outdated and should be used as a tool to help estimate savings by replacing with those that are more energy efficient.
I think the only thing that would draw attention to that is frequent fluctuation like if every couple of months your usage drops to neighborhood norms and then spikes up again for a few months regardless to what season it is, then that might get looked at. For the most part though, I wouldn't sweat it.
 
guy incognito

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
27% aint shit. I would expect more variation than that based on legitimate use (not growing related). Some people just use more electricity. I mean if you got a couple girls they will use the hair dryer, and do laundry all the time, leave lights on, turn heaters up, and in general just waste energy. I would say if you have a wife and a few girls you should be using 270% more than a single man.
 
Unnk

Unnk

Well-Known Member
as stated earlier

old fridges are big ones on energy suckers

suck your amperage right out the lines
 
bowlfullofbliss

bowlfullofbliss

Well-Known Member
Move to a state that has legal MMJ.....then you just don't give a fuck!

I'd be pretty suprised if an electric bill alone would get LEO a warrent. It would help if they had other info, as long as you don't live in Texas you're probably good...hopefully.

Electric companies do offer a service to determine what is drawing the most juice, it could be a lead to offer that to you if you are someone who is suprised to see that.

Watch for black helicopters LOL :)
 
VILEPLUME

VILEPLUME

Well-Known Member
when i started my small grow i also updated a lot of things in my place that use tons of electricity. My fridge for example was really old and ran 24/7, i got a high efficiency one and now i use about the same power with the new fridge + HPS grow lights than i did with just the old fridge.

Also you could say that you have a family member living with you now, that takes up at least 27% for additional costs.

It is kind of fucked that we need to make up excuses for growing a plant! I mean, it's a fucking plant!
 
S

spleefed

Active Member
I built my house 3 years ago. I added several exterior lights around the perimeter of the house installed in the soffett. Turns out, they consume 650 watts when they are on. I use them now to keep my usage level (it's not much I know, but I am paranoid) on an even keel. So for a couple of months I never turn them on and the following couple of months I leave them on for only 12 hours. The point is, one offsets the other. Also, there are months that I forget to turn them off all together. So I have a steady usage of 600 to 650 watts continous no matter what time of year it is. 3 amps is a small amount considering that brewing two pots of coffee a day would come close to that in total energy used.
I think the safest thing to do is to keep an eye on unusual fluctuations. No one notices flat usage month after month after month.
 
Unnk

Unnk

Well-Known Member
exactly

as long as your not pulling the power like a champ for 2 months then stop

then pick up for 2 months then stop

that would be alittle huh?
 
mysunnyboy

mysunnyboy

Well-Known Member
maybe they want you to step up your usage and you are ONLY 27% higher then your neighbors? come on pal step it up, they make money off of us :peace:
 
Total Head

Total Head

Well-Known Member
spleefed said:
Your 250 watt lamp at 120 volts is pulling about 2 amps continuous. An old inefficient gas furnace (usually oversized) can pull as much as 7 to 8 amps continuous while running. A 1500 watt space heater will pull 12.5 amps continous. An overage of 27% as compared to neighbors is only to suggest that you may have appliances that are now outdated and should be used as a tool to help estimate savings by replacing with those that are more energy efficient.
I think the only thing that would draw attention to that is frequent fluctuation like if every couple of months your usage drops to neighborhood norms and then spikes up again for a few months regardless to what season it is, then that might get looked at. For the most part though, I wouldn't sweat it.
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while all this is true, i would be on the hunt for whatever it is that's making the usage so high.
my fridge is literally from the 1960's and uses a LOT of juice. i run a 400w hps on 12/12 and a 360w t5 fixture on 18/6 with 5 fans and my light bill is STILL lower than the lady downstairs. she's not a power hog, either. she runs a space heater and a clothes dryer and that's why her bill is higher than mine.

still, a 250 w ballast should NOT bump your usage 27% past the norm unless you're the only one in the neighborhood with electric heat. 250 watts is equivalent to 3 incandescent bulbs, which many people still have all over their homes. get to the bottom of it. you might have a faulty appliance or wiring, or you might just be wasting electricity somewhere.

i hope you have cfls all over your house and not regular bulbs. and set stereos and appliances to the economy setting. standby is not your friend.
 
S

spleefed

Active Member
Total Head said:
while all this is true, i would be on the hunt for whatever it is that's making the usage so high.
my fridge is literally from the 1960's and uses a LOT of juice. i run a 400w hps on 12/12 and a 360w t5 fixture on 18/6 with 5 fans and my light bill is STILL lower than the lady downstairs. she's not a power hog, either. she runs a space heater and a clothes dryer and that's why her bill is higher than mine.

still, a 250 w ballast should NOT bump your usage 27% past the norm unless you're the only one in the neighborhood with electric heat. 250 watts is equivalent to 3 incandescent bulbs, which many people still have all over their homes. get to the bottom of it. you might have a faulty appliance or wiring, or you might just be wasting electricity somewhere.

i hope you have cfls all over your house and not regular bulbs. and set stereos and appliances to the economy setting. standby is not your friend.
Click to expand...

He may not have anything faulty in his house. If his neighbor replaced windows, added insulation and upgraded the hvac system a couple of years ago to take advantage of the energy tax credits that the government was offering then it might be that his neighbor simply lowered his monthly utility by 25% over previous years. If you replace your 10 SEER air conditioner with a 13 SEER you could expect to see a 23% reduction in you cooling costs. Same goes for heat pumps.

The OP's 27% more usage doesn't mean it's comparing apples to apples. My utility bills probably ruin the curve for my whole neighborhood. I installed a 19 Seer Multi Stage Heat Pump with a variable speed airhandler, divided my house into 3 zones that are conditioned only when needed. Everyone has a zone system in the house or apartment they currently live in. Maybe not for heating and air conditioning but they do for lights and water. When you flip a light switch does every light in the house come on? No, only in the room you needed it. Same for water, you turn on the water at the kitchen sink and it doesn't come out at every faucette in the house. So while my neighbor has new appliances and absolutely nothing wrong happening electrically, he is likely consuming a considerable amount more than I do. Make sense?
 
Total Head

Total Head

Well-Known Member
spleefed said:
He may not have anything faulty in his house. If his neighbor replaced windows, added insulation and upgraded the hvac system a couple of years ago to take advantage of the energy tax credits that the government was offering then it might be that his neighbor simply lowered his monthly utility by 25% over previous years. If you replace your 10 SEER air conditioner with a 13 SEER you could expect to see a 23% reduction in you cooling costs. Same goes for heat pumps.

The OP's 27% more usage doesn't mean it's comparing apples to apples. My utility bills probably ruin the curve for my whole neighborhood. I installed a 19 Seer Multi Stage Heat Pump with a variable speed airhandler, divided my house into 3 zones that are conditioned only when needed. Everyone has a zone system in the house or apartment they currently live in. Maybe not for heating and air conditioning but they do for lights and water. When you flip a light switch does every light in the house come on? No, only in the room you needed it. Same for water, you turn on the water at the kitchen sink and it doesn't come out at every faucette in the house. So while my neighbor has new appliances and absolutely nothing wrong happening electrically, he is likely consuming a considerable amount more than I do. Make sense?
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gotcha. however, if the op doesn't have electric heat he has some detective work to do because i'm sure a few of his neighbors (to whom he's being compared) do.

thank god i have gas. i heat the whole apartment off a single high efficiency ventless natural gas "space heater" (30,000 btu max) and my hot water tank is gas as well.
the washing machine, the grow, the tv, and the fridge are pretty much all i pay for on my light bill. i never use overhead lighting. just a 13w cfl in a lamp.
my fridge is almost 50 years old and uses over 18 dollars a month by itself. i feel like such an asshole for not taking advantage of that damn energystar credit they were doing a few months back. i just have issues with junking perfectly working appliances. plus it's a conversation piece when i have visitors. i have the 1963 ad in time magazine that shows the fridge brand new. i pay an extra 10 bucks a month to have something to talk about so i probably shouldn't be helping people with their energy crises :dunce:

lol
 
KidneyStoner420

KidneyStoner420

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have elec oil heat. washer/dryer, 2000s fridge and mostly incandesent bulbs.
I believe the wife signed us up for some deal where our bill is the same every month. I'll have to ask her.
 
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