kayaal

I'm currently using a 400hps and can cover it's usage by cutting back on other appliances such as tv,use a gas cooker etc.However,I would like to increase my grow,but I think the extra lights will increase my bill,which might arouse suspician.Is there any way of stopping the meter without having to open it?

SouthernBreed

Kayaal man If I was you I wouldn't even think about that!Growing is risky enough to me.Thats why i Haven't bought any more lights.but what you do is your business.Just be careful.Sorry I couldn't answer your ?Just don't want any1 getting in trouble with heat.I may be wrong but I'm not sure if you'll get an answer here.Again be very careful.SouthernBreed

Spankys420

dont stop that meater, youll get caught so fast. theyll see somethings up, come investigate and you just blew it. anyways here is a post to save electricity:
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I found this as I was surfing another site. Mostly relevant for large scale growers, but good tips are good tips! Hope they dont mind my passing along helpful info...

>>The number one power sucker in your home is the hot water heater. Most of these units use between 3500 and 7000 watts. Turning off this unit at the circuit box will dramatically reduce your power bill (not to mention the length of your showers, ha ha). Number two would be your baseboard heaters. These are the most wasteful power suckers. A 4-foot long baseboard unit can draw 1000 watts or more. A small apartment usually has several of these. Turn them off at the box. Plug-in electric space heaters usually consume 1000 to 1500 watts. Cold? Hang out with the ganja. (I have seen electric internal forced air heating systems in large homes that consume as much power as ten or more 1KW grow lamps. These are ideal grow houses because by turning off the heat, your bill may not be any higher than the previous residents). Tied for number three are your dishwasher and clothes washer. Both of these units use lots of hot water, and the dishwasher even super-heats the already hot water. The clothes dryer is also a major culprit. Use paper plates and go to the Laundromat. At number four we have the refrigerator and freezer. Most people won't want to try and live without these, but try putting gallon jugs of water in the empty spaces (if any) of both. Water retains its temperature more efficiently than air, so your fridge will use less energy. Also, a lot of people seem to have this thing about leaving all the lights in the house on all the time. Remember to turn off lights you're not using. Use low wattage bulbs. If no one is living at the grow facility, all of these appliances should be turned off at the box and you should be growing a lot of weed.<<

I didnt realize that about the water heater. Well, I kinda did, but not right out n front like that. Id like to add that insulating your home, summer and winter, is a great way to save percentage points on your bill. Pay special attention to the bottom of the doors and the seals that make them weather resistant.

Ive already turned my water heater down from 125(!!!) to 110. Im betting this helps a ton.

Smokin, your h2o heater keeps the water in the tank heated at a constant temp so it will be on quite a lot throughout the day. Maybe switching to a gas h2o heater if you can't turn off your electric one completely would be an answer. A waterbed heater also uses quite a bit of electric for the same reason. (About $25/mo where I live). Although I've turned off everything not related to growing (fridge, h2o heater, etc) bill still comes out "suspiciously" high. I've been informed on this forum that high electric usage is not enough for a search warrant. Others say that Electric cos. and cops don't get together and compare notes. I sure hope so because high electric bills could be a red flag that would be easily traceable by the cops and possibly a devestating chink in the armor of any larger grower's security.

As far as the electric uage monitoring goes, think about the situation out west. With the incredible disparity in prices from one bill to the next, the margin between lowest and highest bill has got to be unbelievable. And some are doing all to conserve and some just dont give a sh!t. More disparity. I think its too much for them to care(right now anyway)
My mom in law is possibly gonna be transferred to my home cause she had a stroke and may need 24hr care for a couple months. We were warned(after I asked) that our power bill could go up substantially cause of the support equipment she needs, incl electric wheelchair and bed. Just an example of how your power usage can go up without any visable external factors for the power company to see.
The bottom line? If your power bill or water usage or surfing practices are being investigated, your already busted and their just making the case


If you are in an area of the world that supports it, look into solar hot water heaters.
I have been using one for years, and have yet to spend a dime on hot water... limitless showers, dish washing, laundry, etc.

Course now that the state of Florida is under stage 2 water restrictions, we could have a problem there. We can now only water outdoors legally two days a week, and only 2 designated hours at that.

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well enough said. i dont know if this was in the post but 1000 watts of 24 hour continuous use it $25 bucks a month per appliance. enough said, have fun

__________________
"I would like to thank Michael Jordan for giving me the inspiration,I have always wanted to fly as high as he can."

I get high , not to escape from reality, but to get closer to reality."

ktom49

Spankys420: Thanks alot for the reply. Very informative and eliminated the need for much more research.

jason bourne

Hmmm, i don't have a problem with high electricity use in my nation, but i wonder then how the big american and canadian growers do it, let's say you have a garden in your home, and this garden has 6 1000 watts lamps, are you guys suggesting that the power company won't notice the high bill?

On the other hand, i would like to know why do some here feel that rigging the meter is wrong, how in the world is the power company going to notice?

bobbooty

this is a site for growing marijuana for personal use. Secondly, there are plenty of excuses anybody can come up with to cover the power usage excuse. Summertime=air conditioning, wintertime=1500 watt space heaters. There are also plenty of people that use high wattage power tools and appliances. They arent getting harrassed by the electric companies. The bottom line on power consumption is: Pay your bill on time. The power company doesnt care how much power you use, just pay your bill on time and be safe with the electricity use.

this is a site for growing marijuana for personal use. you might want to check out the folowing threads:

this one

and this one

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