Electric cost

[ratdog]

46 minutes ago, Amnesialocal said:

So now a 600w running 24/7 will cost approx. £3.7 day, £26 week.

 

 

that's probably under the going rate, and doesn't include heating and fans

[Amnesialocal]

I agree.

Can we say hypothetically over a 600w:

Other 150w between extraction and fans and depending on heating/cooling or dehumidifier/humidifier between 200-500w.

 

Can someone explain the difference between the output of and equipment (i.e. light) and the real wall watt read by the meter? 

My company said is the same...if something is 600w and you pay 0.34kw/h the calculation is there. No extra 10-20% at the wall.

Is this true?

Edited November 4, 2023 by Amnesialocal

[Flamedodger]

Just now, ratdog said:

 

 

that's probably under the going rate, and doesn't include heating and fans

Beat me to it mate. I have an old RVK in my shed and ACI ec fan in the growspace, rvk pulls 34w the aci 15w. My tube heater is 120w, the dehumidifier 200w, it all adds up. The only wasted heat I get this time of year is when I open the doors, it’s insulated with 50mm of PIR and reflective bubble wrap, it definitely helps keep the bills down and the environment in check 

 

[Flamedodger]

Just now, Amnesialocal said:

Can someone explain the difference between the output of and equipment (i.e. light) and the real wall watt read by the meter? 

My LED is  Par+ 240Pro pulling 235w 

[Crow River]

The prices from my supplier went down slightly in October.

 

Electricity is 25.603p per kWh

Gas is 6.522p per kWh

 

Standing charges went up again slightly.

 

Electricity is 59.140p per day

Gas is 28.210p per day

 

Plus VAT at 5% obviously.

 

Last month's energy bill (dual fuel) was just shy of £145.

 

Family of four here, but we had the upstairs very well insulated a few years ago which means we hardly need to run the heating unless it's very cold. I grow indoors, but my energy consumption does not add up to a lot - two small tents, a veg cab and some low powered supplementary lighting by the window. Two of those spaces have just been drying outdoor grown weed for the past few weeks, so only extraction to run. Even when they're all going full tilt vegging at 20/4, LED lighting is so cheap to run in small areas that it's maybe £30 a month on top of general energy bill. Heat mats and tube heaters not really needed until the cold weather comes in, and we haven't had much yet this autumn.

 

E2A:- I very rarely run my lights at full whack. They are all dimmable, and usually run between 50-75% of full output. Total wattage for one quantum style board (120w at the socket), two blurple/COB combo lights (110w each) is 340w maximum, but as I say they rarely operate at maximum as that would be overkill in small spaces. So average draw is around half of maximum, or just a little bit over, say 180/200w.

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Crow River

[KC]

 

42 minutes ago, Amnesialocal said:

Can someone explain the difference between the output of and equipment (i.e. light) and the real wall watt read by the meter? 

 

Usually a ballast will pull more from the wall than it's output. I've never tested it as I don't have a watt meter. I thought drivers were the same but from what @Flamedodger is saying they give you some back

 

The old style coil ballasts use more as they get older (i've heard). We had some good electrician dudes on here that could explain it, don't know if they're still about.

 

@Crow River

 

sounds like you need a bigger tent

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by KC
the tent bit

[Crow River]

3 minutes ago, KC said:

sounds like you need a bigger tent

 

I have several, and also more powerful lights. They are not practical in the home though, take up too much space. Once my indoor setup is moved offsite, one of the bigger tents will probably spring into action. Until then, the small spaces are fine for most things. It's surprising what you can do in tiny tents or cabinets!  

[KC]

@Crow River

 

I've seen some amazing grows over the years on here using little tents and cabs so no surprises there, getting even more amazing with the lighting technology now. I'm getting to a point in my consumption where it might be worth me looking into it, ok electric prices have come down but they're not cheap. I'm paying over 300 a month with gas although my boiler is shit, maybe look into that first

[Herbal Kint]

5 hours ago, Amnesialocal said:

So how much do you pay now (2023) for unit rate? £0.18Kw/h, £0.28Kw/h, £0.34kw/h?

0,074789 EUR/kWh in day rate, night rate is half of that. Not in UK

 

Am I crosseyed or you pay double+ per kw?

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Herbal Kint

[Crow River]

@KC, condenser boiler is the most efficient, we upgraded eight years ago, got the insulation done at same time. I think the boiler was about £3k, maybe a bit less I don't remember. Might even be less now, some things are cheaper, others way more expensive...

 

Can't see energy prices back at their level of just a couple of years ago, when they were about half what they are now. Maybe if the UK generation mix uses less gas, prices might come down a bit more.

 

I think my most powerful LED fixture draws about 240w maximum. Less than half a typical HPS lamp. That's enough for about 6 sq. feet, say a 70x70 or 80x80 tent at a push. Biggest tent I have is 120x120, might need a bit more for that depending on what I'm trying to do. 

 

In my opinion, growers that want to save energy should look into insulation. Either round the tent (bit of rock wool or thick board), the room / space the grow is in, or the building (especially the roof). Then look at how the space is being heated, see if anything can be more efficient there. If still running sodium or metal halide lamps, consider LED instead (but take into account the lost heat and how that will be restored if temps are low).

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Crow River

[Chal]

On 4/11/2023 at 11:22 PM, Crow River said:

In my opinion, growers that want to save energy should look into insulation.

 

There it is, Again! That message! It simply has to be that my mind became focused on the idea, last night. So, now I'm noticing everyone else talking about it.

 

Bloody encouraging though!

 

[RUFUS HOUND]

insulation is key - energy costs so much now you dont want to waste it.

 

I only run 240W ish lighting in a 4x2 tent and dont really need heat once lights are on but at lights off, you wanna keep heat losses to a min - cant get round the extraction but heat losses from the tent can be minimized with insulation on all sides, top and bottom.

[Chal]

Just now, RUFUS HOUND said:

Insulation is key - insulation on all sides, top and bottom.

 

And, right there is my latest brain ache. Due to (Blah, blah, blah) my Only option is to remove an entire side wall of my tents lung / insulation, to access my tent. And, I'll be standing with my feet in a large, unheated room. Reaching through a full sized door, into my tent.

 

No matter how fast I could try to be; All that plant comfort is going to be sucked out into the unheated room. Basically putting conditions inside the lung / tent right back to cold start.

 

Chilled air. RH will rocket. Dehu and heater will have to kick in, on full, to try and deal with it. Plant, I imagine, will shiver, " WTF?! ".

 

That'll be the daily norm.

 

Is there a known way round this, please?

 

[RUFUS HOUND]

I have a double duvet over the top of tent, hanging down over the front doors, down to the floor.

 

I get under this and it helps keep most of the heat from escaping - Knock off all all fans and extraction while under/ have tent open - only lose a degree or so. 

 

PS dont forget to insulate the floor or it will draw heat from the pots and give poor root temps - I have 2" of EPS lining the floor and my pot temps sit at about 22 to 23'C

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by RUFUS HOUND

[Chal]

9 hours ago, RUFUS HOUND said:

Duvet

 

Beautiful! Thanks! I can safely and honestly say that Nobody has ever accused me of under thinking a problem!

 

I especially love the 'one simple trick' of switching off all the turbulence first too. Another one of those things; Patently obvious ~ Once ye told!