Cfl vs hps 250w cost

G

Greenfingers1987

Active Member
Hi could someone please tell me if running a 250w cfl would be cheaper to run than a 250w hps

Because im reading online that cfl are cheaper to run

Thanks guys
 
CFL would be cheaper, if you can keep the 250w hps under 90f though it will probably nicely out perform 250w of CFL, maybe even up to like 95f. Of course if you can keep your temps around 75ish then that 250w hps will be great.

250w of CFL will use the "same" amount of energy as 250w of CFL..

Pretty much, watt for watt, HPS > CFL if you can deal with the heat.

How big is your closet? How much ventilation do you have access to?

Learning with CFL is not a bad idea at all if you have never grown before, if thats how you start out then i'm sure you will upgrade your equipment over time and end up with an ideal setup no matter what size.

The more money you put towards proper equipment up front the easier it will be, but its also really easy to waste a few hundred dollars on things you don't end up using. Good light, good soil, good ventilation, and "pristine" light leak control are some of the profound factors that will influence your results.

I've grown top shelf buds with CFL and with HPS and a few other light types, quality will be bomb with CFL just as it will with HPS, but HPS puts off a nice amount more light per watt.
 
GemuGrows said:
CFL would be cheaper, if you can keep the 250w hps under 90f though it will probably nicely out perform 250w of CFL, maybe even up to like 95f. Of course if you can keep your temps around 75ish then that 250w hps will be great.

I've grown top shelf buds with CFL and with HPS and a few other light types, quality will be bomb with CFL just as it will with HPS, but HPS puts off a nice amount more light per watt.
Click to expand...

Pretty much spot on, its easy to have heat issues in a closet when the house ambient is around 70-75. I've setup many closet grows for clients. 95 is too hot for proper metabolic process, Ok for cacti, not so good for Cannabis spp.

If you're willing to keep the CFL's close to the canopy, they work just fine, so proper prune and training is necessary. HPS just penetrates better and gives better density. I prefer to run it bare vs a ventilated hood with safety glass unless you need more heat control.

Its really a trick question presented by the OP. :)
 
Greenfingers1987 said:
Hi could someone please tell me if running a 250w cfl would be cheaper to run than a 250w hps

Because im reading online that cfl are cheaper to run

Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Pretty sure the hps will be a bit more costly. If you use a magnetic ballast they use 20% more electricity than the bulb is rated. If your using a digital ballast you would use about 10% more electricity. I think I would still go with the hps though simply for the return, even of you have to have a fan in there. Its ideal to run a fan anyways, so I wouldn't look at it as just having it for cooling purposes. You could also go the route of running 150 watt hps that cost next to nothing and using CFLs to supplement to get your 250 watts. Just a thought. The above info about the ballast using a percentage more than what the bulb is rated, I read in Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Growers Handbook. Good book full of info, I think I paid $10 for the eBook. Good luck buddy hope this helps.
 
johnp410 said:
Pretty sure the hps will be a bit more costly. If you use a magnetic ballast they use 20% more electricity than the bulb is rated. If your using a digital ballast you would use about 10% more electricity. I think I would still go with the hps though simply for the return, even of you have to have a fan in there. Its ideal to run a fan anyways, so I wouldn't look at it as just having it for cooling purposes. You could also go the route of running 150 watt hps that cost next to nothing and using CFLs to supplement to get your 250 watts. Just a thought. The above info about the ballast using a percentage more than what the bulb is rated, I read in Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Growers Handbook. Good book full of info, I think I paid $10 for the eBook. Good luck buddy hope this helps.
Click to expand...
I know a lot of the current 250w hps systems are now running enclosed didgital ballasts, i think some are even switchable with a 150w hps bulb; which are a few good options.

I know theres a 250w/400w enclosed ballast digital system out there that could also be a pretty good buy.
^And I was nice enough to go and find it (: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8...BaseShopping&gclid=CPm-0pOqpcwCFQqsaQodWPEFJA

Also that light from that site is a pretty dang good deal. If you snag a 400w bulb you should be able to dim the 400w bulb down to 250w with that.

^Thats a good option, OP, if you have like a 2.5x2.5 to 3.5x3.5 space, but it would for sure need ventilation.



Again CFL is great for learning, a good way to get started really cheap and gain experience while you are still deciding where you should put your money on high quality gear. Again, "the more you spend" on proper equipment; the easier everything will be!

There are a million places in a grow to save money, but there are definitely some buys where dropping the cash makes a difference. A good inline fan and light being some of those purchases.
 
GemuGrows said:
I know a lot of the current 250w hps systems are now running enclosed didgital ballasts, i think some are even switchable with a 150w hps bulb; which are a few good options.

I know theres a 250w/400w enclosed ballast digital system out there that could also be a pretty good buy.
^And I was nice enough to go and find it (: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8...BaseShopping&gclid=CPm-0pOqpcwCFQqsaQodWPEFJA

Also that light from that site is a pretty dang good deal. If you snag a 400w bulb you should be able to dim the 400w bulb down to 250w with that.

^Thats a good option, OP, if you have like a 2.5x2.5 to 3.5x3.5 space, but it would for sure need ventilation.



Again CFL is great for learning, a good way to get started really cheap and gain experience while you are still deciding where you should put your money on high quality gear. Again, "the more you spend" on proper equipment; the easier everything will be!

There are a million places in a grow to save money, but there are definitely some buys where dropping the cash makes a difference. A good inline fan and light being some of those purchases.
Click to expand...
That is a good deal. I keep forgetting about that site. I'm always tied up on amazon and couple others. Lol
 
GemuGrows said:
thanks for the info I didnt know that! Any chance you can link me some info on that?
Click to expand...

http://www.eyehortilux.com/ask-a-question/faqs.aspx

"We do not recommend running any wattage lamp at a lower or higher wattage setting. By reducing the wattage to the lamp you will affect the quality of the spectrum which in turn will affect the quality of plant growth. By increasing the wattage to the lamp you will shorten the life of the lamp significantly. Always operate your HID grow lamps at their rated wattage for reliable performance. - See more at: http://www.eyehortilux.com/ask-a-question/faqs.aspx#sthash.Y4hx8I33.dpuf"

I'm sure there is some studies that could contradict this, but unless a bulb is built specific for dimmed use, like Gavita's that are dimmable. I wont run a bulb dimmed unless its made for that use.
 
Thanks man I appreciate it!

Especially since one of my bulbs is a hortilux on a 1000w dimmable ballast, but its running at 1000w so I dont have any issues

I knew the dimming messed with spectrum/bulb life but i still figured the extra couple hundred watts of juice (on average) was worth it; have any thoughts on this?
 
Last edited:
GrowerGoneWild said:
Pretty much spot on, its easy to have heat issues in a closet when the house ambient is around 70-75. I've setup many closet grows for clients. 95 is too hot for proper metabolic process, Ok for cacti, not so good for Cannabis spp.

If you're willing to keep the CFL's close to the canopy, they work just fine, so proper prune and training is necessary. HPS just penetrates better and gives better density. I prefer to run it bare vs a ventilated hood with safety glass unless you need more heat control.

Its really a trick question presented by the OP. :)
Click to expand...
Can I ask what op means please mate, is it other people :-)
 
GemuGrows said:
Thanks man I appreciate it!

Especially since one of my bulbs is a hortilux on a 1000w dimmable ballast, but its running at 1000w so I dont have any issues

I knew the dimming messed with spectrum/bulb life but i still figured the extra couple hundred watts of juice (on average) was worth it; have any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Within a range of 10% +/- is acceptable, I think its ok to run an old hortilux SE bulb thats at the end of its useful life at 1100 boost setting (Solis Tec) or say using a splitter to run 2 600's. I'm ok with that too. Or say running it at 800 is a bit too low if you ask me but I think its workable. Running a bulb at half power isn't acceptable to me. IF you want to run in that range, get a DE fixture that runs 750 like the Gavita.
 
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