Wattage Control

So after receiving my latest electric bill.

In the previous month my household used 853 total KWH on an avg of 31 kwh/day over a 28 day billing period.

Today, my bill has me on a 1,586 total KWH on an avg of 47KWH/day over a 34 day billing period.

My question is for those who use power converters or wattage converters...


What is the best way to disperse the wattage out?

How do most of you growers handle this problem?

Does my most recent bill look that much out of the ordinary to my old bill? (I moved in the beginning of Feb, began the G OP around Feb 20th)

I am using a 5000w Metal Halide bulb in my veggie stage which concludes on Tues.

Obviously this will bring the KWH down but what about when I am on a new grow and thus back to the Veggie state?


I would really love some great feedback/input on this.


Thanks for all of your time.

Keep growing! Keep smoking!

wow 5ooo sounds like a lot to me but i have a t5 flor. and a 4oow mh and 400w hps
but if you pay your bill i think it would be ok how does your bill compare to the people next door or in the same town. if its alot higher then theirs i would start to worry.my bill is lower then alot of people i know lights and heat cost me 150 a month.

5000w mh bulb is that so?

how hot does that sucker get???!!

and last but not least....making multiple threads will not get your questions answered any faster....in fact it might just do the opposite.

cloggin of the forums with 2 different threads about the same topics grinds people gears..... be patient young grasshopper...help will be on the way!!!!

With a 5000W bulb I'd be more concerned with the people on Mars seeing it and thinking it is a signal so they fly here and they land on your house and they crush your plant.

I'll assume 500W. You'll be fine. I think having just moved in would help a lot too. They have nothing to compare you to for a year ago so you'll be fine.

Picasso345 said:

With a 5000W bulb I'd be more concerned with the people on Mars seeing it and thinking it is a signal so they fly here and they land on your house and they crush your plant.

I'll assume 500W. You'll be fine. I think having just moved in would help a lot too. They have nothing to compare you to for a year ago so you'll be fine.

Click to expand...

ROTFL!!!

5000watt bulb is that posable?

Picasso345 said:

With a 5000W bulb I'd be more concerned with the people on Mars seeing it and thinking it is a signal so they fly here and they land on your house and they crush your plant.

I'll assume 500W. You'll be fine. I think having just moved in would help a lot too. They have nothing to compare you to for a year ago so you'll be fine.

Click to expand...

I even talked with the guy I got the bulb from to be sure it wasn't 500. He said it was 5000....and I'm thinking.....5000w on for 20 hrs...that's 100,000 KWH/day. There isn't any way that's right.

The light gets hot, but it doesn't turn the room into a sauna or anything.


As for the posting muliple times. I was in good need of a good answer. My partner in crime (who is also my roommate) only had talks of tearing down, and got me a bit anxious to find a much better alternate solution.

How do I inquire to my neighbors about their electric bill without being...oh i don't know....goofy/creepy/suspicious?

truthfully do a 12/12 sea of green from seed

it will cut your usage in half, you get smaller plants but you get tons of them

Mr. Marge said:

I even talked with the guy I got the bulb from to be sure it wasn't 500. He said it was 5000....and I'm thinking.....5000w on for 20 hrs...that's 100,000 KWH/day. There isn't any way that's right.

How do I inquire to my neighbors about their electric bill without being...oh i don't know....goofy/creepy/suspicious?

Click to expand...

Do you have a picture of the bulb or anything off the box it came in? I'm very interested to see this.

Older guys love to talk about how much their electricity bill is and how many MPG they get in their car. Just hint at it and they will spout some numbers on their own without you even asking until you are bored silly. Another tact would be to call up the Realtor of a house for sale in the neighborhood that seems comparable to yours and ask what the electricity bill runs. Sometimes that info is even listed in the online ads.

Good luck.

You can call the electric company, tell them you want to buy a property and give them the address. They used to release that information if you asked. THat way you know how much power your new property has used in the past. They should at least give you an average monthly bill.

Picasso345 said:

Do you have a picture of the bulb or anything off the box it came in? I'm very interested to see this.

Older guys love to talk about how much their electricity bill is and how many MPG they get in their car. Just hint at it and they will spout some numbers on their own without you even asking until you are bored silly. Another tact would be to call up the Realtor of a house for sale in the neighborhood that seems comparable to yours and ask what the electricity bill runs. Sometimes that info is even listed in the online ads.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

There she is. The 1000w bulb.


I'm heading to the neighborhood meeting next month. Hopefully I'll scope some good info there. Thanks for the tip.

is that foil??!?!?!!

It is foil. What's funny about it, is that the room is covered in it. Even better, all of the foil are foils that you use to wrap baked potatoes.

I thought they were aluminum bricks?

Mr. Marge said:

It is foil. What's funny about it, is that the room is covered in it. Even better, all of the foil are foils that you use to wrap baked potatoes.

Click to expand...

please get rid of it.

this is marijuana growing 101, not home economics....we arent baking in here

dude your going to have serious hot spots on your plants with that foil!!

Got no hot spots on my plants with that foil