13/11 in veg doesn’t work for every strain, but for some it’s no problem.
Only way to find out is to do it.
Today I saw the first few pistils on one of my two plants, but the other one in the same pot is vegging along fine. Flipping to flower tomorrow anyway so it’s all well with my soul.
Well this has been an interesting read, I must say! A lot of good ideas, as well as some not so good ideas here. I was gorilla indoor grower for a few decades and know the electric can be a PITA! The best thing I can say is if you buy a new home, and you plan on growing… just to use everything you can in the way of power right from the jump. As long as you pay the bills they don’t care! With the load you pull, when you do get your grow up and going, just cut back on all the other electrical stuff. Then it stays pretty consistent.
Being licensed/legal commercial grower here now, the electric company knows what I do and they honestly don’t care as long as my bills get paid on time.
I was running about $650-$800 a month, until I changed out all my HPS and MH along with those t-12 4’ dbl fixtures, lol now it’s down to around 300-400 per month. Changing the lighting can save a bunch!
I guess I will end up with the sim card in my meter. I started heating the grow room with electricity now. My usage will get above 10k kwh per year. That means they will send half hourly electricity usage information to the power company.
But guys I need an advice. I am using heating mats under every ebb and flood table. I set the heating mats to 65 Fahrenheit (18 degree celsius).
Is that the lowest temperature I should go?`
Also I did set the exhaust fan pretty low. So the heat does stay inside the tent. But I am not sure how low I can go. I wonder where is the point when plants not get enough co2 anymore or when the resistance of the charcoal filter is too high for the fan.
Also I am switching now the electricity company because the rates of the current one got too high. I have the option between a small one and a biger one which has 10 times the customers of the smaller one. Both are the same price.
What do you think, should I go to the smaller or the bigger one?
What will your average hourly usage be 10 kwh over a year is nothing, last winter my usage jumped from 2.5 kw an hour in December to 5.4kw an hour in Jan and Feb.
Lowest temps will vary depending on what you are growing in. Soil needs it warm for the bacteria, the cooler the soil the slower the plants grow.
If you are doing flood and drain and the heating mats are under the trays You are going to create a lot of humidity. I think you would be better off with a normal small heater, they will heat the area more efficiently, mats don’t throw out much radiant heat quickly so it can take a while to warm up even a small space.
If you are wanting more regular co2 input from air exchange, you made need to have more heat or a faster heat production, my LEDS create negligible heat in winter so I have a small 1500w heater set so if the temps drop below 72f, the heater comes on up to 76f if it goes above 78f the fan comes on and off again at 76f.
Sometimes the extraction fan will not need to come on, if it gets really chilly so then you have to think about supplementing co2.
Unless you have a way of doing that it may be cheaper to run a heater at a higher temp to trigger the fan for some fresh air. Venting into the same room as your drawing air from will allow the room to stay wamer but may require fresh air exchange as well but not so often.
It’s a hard battle to win trying to grow on a low financial electrical cost. As well as disguise what you are doing.
As electric companies use computers I don’t think it will matter which company you use, if you think your usage may go un noticed with more users.
I do not have an issue of cold being a factor in my grow. However, after just having our old bathroom gutted, and new shower, installed, with heated floors, I think I’d be checking that heat system out myself. The contractor told us we will see and increase, in electric, but not nearly as steep as I was thinking it would be.
My contractor, uses Schluter products. but for some base heat for growing, they are to expensive, IMHO. After a quick search for heated floors, there could be some cost effective components to slap together. Just wondering.
here KWh is .33 cents but were i live i only have 350kw allowance and after that i have to pay .84cents kwh is crazy
Did anybody try the gas lantern routine (GLR)?
I thought about it then changed my mind. The info I looked at suggested a different set up for veg and flower, I couldn’t be bothered re setting my timer for it.
Yes i do for veg if I already have a flowering full power then i use it to conserve power
Just an interesting thing
The summer months are very expensive here especially the bill from August with 100 plus degrees
And bad allergies windows closed and ac running on over time especially the women in my house can’t take the heat
Small home 1200 sq Ft all electric 425.00
Next month sept no heat wave windows opened
Bill 47.00 and that’s with 3 leds 4 fans you know grow room stuff and all the cooking and normal electricity use
Ok so the room really don’t run on much at all
Everyone thinks it’s expensive well it’s expensive to buy the right equipment but if you do it’s reasonable to run
Just my 2 cents
Especially if you swap all your house lighting to led, what used to be 60-100w is now like 6-14w and then if you use an LED grow light that can cut the electric use in half to 10-20 years ago.
Things Too high priced - still cheaper to grow that to buy at dispensary’s But when you take seed purchase, electricity, nutrients, and any other product one buy’s ??? Gorw rather that Buy
Get creative, buy from the used market, learn a very small bit electrical, learn to use a soldering iron, and you can simply build an incredible solar system, with enough battery power to power your house, and grow room 
for incredibly cheap. Just because there is new technology, doesn’t mean the old tech doesn’t work, or work extremely well 
The tech has evolved and aged long enough that with some know how, and creativity, you can build whatever you want power wise, from 5-10 grand. And do it over months, or hell years if you have too. I have about 5 grand in ours, our electric bill was 6-800 a month. Do the math on that return on investment
a generator would be way way way more expensive to run than any grid tie electricity. just a guess but 10x+ more. gas/generator/gen maintenance. they are made for emergencies when you cant get grid power.
Right? And a whole home Generac is running about 30k installed these days…plus nat gas/fuel prices ugh! 
Definitely go solar/batteries for backup if you can. The price of things lately is just… I can’t even imagine how most people are surviving.
