Wasting Wattage! Being More efficient.

[Centrum]

I would like for everyone share ways to save energy and optimize efficiency in the grow room.
So anyone who has learned ways to cut back and save and use more practical ways to save on electricity please add your comments and stories.


Here are some mistakes i am making right now.
For me its fans and fluorescent fixtures.

Okay start with the fans ( im using the amp multiplied by voltage to = wattage)

4 X Suncourt 8 inch thru wall =60 watts on high.( x4 = 240 watts)
4 x 6 inch inline fan = 42 watts (x4 = 168 watts)
1 x 12 inch Oscillating fan = 48 watts ( x1 = 48 watts)
4 x 16 inch Oscillating fan = 85 watts ( x4 = 340 watts)
4 x Twin Window Fan = 40 watts (x4 = 160 watts)
2 x Blower Fan = 132 watts ( x2 = 264 watts)
4 x Exhaust bathroom fans = 96 watts ( x4 = 384 watts)


Veg/ Moms Fans
Blower 18 hours a day & 16 inch Oscillating 24 hours a day .

Blower = 132 watts x 18 = 2376 watts per day
16 inch Oscillating fan = 85 watts x 24 hours = 2040watts per day

By combing all veg & moms locations i could use just Oscillating fan 18 hours a day.

saves 132 watts per hour.

Veg, Clone & Moms Fluorescent Fixtures

Clone table
I have 2 4ft Fixtures for my clones. 160 watts x 24 hours = 3840 watts per day

Going down to single fixture 80 watts x 24hours = 1920 watts per day

Saves 80 watts per hour


Veg/Stasis table.
4 x 4ft Fixtures = 320 watts x 24 hours = 7680 watts per day

I really have no need for this table.Its where the extras go. The Mother table has full grown potential moms that i haven't decided on which to keep. ( Ex Same plant # 1 , 2, 3, 4 ,5 and so on.

By Fixing my mother table problem i could eliminate this table and use the mom table for veg and moms.

Saving 320 watts per hour.

Mother Table
8 x 4ft Fixtures = 640 watts

By adding a 600 watt MH & a 6ft Light rail ( 5 watts * can someone confirm 5 watts ) I will save 35 watts per hour and gain an enormous amount of lumens. By combining Veg & mom table it will be a lot more efficient.



Fans in Flower

Okay here is where i am wasting fan power.

I have main room,Mini box,Normal box.

Main room- Exhaust/ Intake (7x7x7) Has 3x suncourt 8 inch 300cfm 2 in the ceiling used to exhaust air.
1 250cfm bathroom fan exhaust on wall 96 watts x 12 hours = 1152 watts per day.
1 in the celing used to intake fresh air along with a 4 inch inline and twin fan.

Exhaust 2 x 60 x 12 hours = 720 watts per day.
4 inch inline & 8 inch intake 42 watts + 60 watts = 102 watts x24 hours = 2448 watts per day.

Twin fan Intake blow fan 40 watts x 12 hours = 480 watts per day.

Two lamps have a 6inch Inline fan to exhaust hot air from lamp our of room. 42 watts x 2 = 84 watts x 12 hours = 1008 watts per day.

Intake and Exhaust in main room cannot be reduced. nothing to save here.

Main Room Air movement
3 x16 inch Oscillating fans = 3x85watts =255 watts x 12 hours = 3060 watts per day (3 tables 3 fans)
1 Blower fan = 132 watts x 12 hours = 1584 watts per day

The blower fan is an overkill and i could remove it.
Saving 132 watts per hour.

I'm going hydro. Saving space = saving power.
Switching from a 3x3 table to 2x 2.5 tables saving a lot of room and allowing me to combine Box 1 and Mini Box. Eliminating Fans used those separate enviorments

Mini Flower box
1 bathroom exhaust fan = 96 wattsx12 hours =1152 watts per day
1 8 inch suncourt = 60 watts x 12 = 720 watts per day

Combining allows me to save 96 + 60 = 156 watts per hour x 12 =1872 a day.

Box 1 flower
6inch inline Lamp Exhaust 42 watts x 12 hours = 504 watts per day.

2x bathroom exhaust fans 2x 96 watts = 192 watts x 12 =2304 watts per day

1 twin box fan 40 watts x 12 hours = 480 watts per day
1 12 inch oscillating fan 48 watts x 12 hour = 576 watts per day


Combining into main room will save 192 + 40 + 48 = 280 watts per hour x 12 hours = 3360 watts per day.

Veg/Mom Fan combine
Now 1 blower fan & 2 twin box fans can also be eliminated by combining veg and mother tables. 1 16inch oscillating fan to replace them.

Saving 132 + 40 + 40 = 212 watts per hour.


So lets look at what i will save per hour.
All together.

1344 Watts per hour!

That's a very big savings!

Now since i am converting to hydro, i need to add 25 watts per Submersible pump. 5 x 125 watts x 24 hours with a recycle timer i use them for 4.8 hours a day 600 watts per day.

Minus 125 watts added would be
1344 - 125 watts = 1219 daily watts per hour savings.

Daily savings are 22428 watts or 22.428 kilowatts per day

672.84 Kilowatts Per month Saved!


I know my situation and savings are completely Different from everyone else.
But just looking at my situation i am sure we could find flaws in our own systems and record them in a thread to help others save energy.
Organization and space can really add up, just look at my situation.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

Absorbing all the available light from each light fixture is job one in the quest for efficiency. Your main tools are PP (Plant Placement) and PJJ (Plant Jiu-Jitsu or bending, or supercropping, etc.) An efficient single point light source (like an HID) setup will have plants arranged like a stadium around the light, all at equal distance and completely blocking excess light from hitting any part of the floor or walls. In this way, the plants themselves do the bulk of the job of cooling the air in the room, which of course saves even more energy on fans and cooling.

 

[THiCk]

So that's about $65-$80 you cut off your electric bill each month. Saving roughly $1000 dollars a year just by cutting the fat: priceless.

Now go spend that grand on booze, motel rooms, and cheap hookers. You deserve it!

 

[Centrum]

lol

 

[EvilTwin]

Centrum,
Another angle...once you grow weary of cheap hotels and hookers ...is to look at other things in your house. Water heaters are very high use items. I put mine on a timer running it 2 hours a day and still manage to have enough warm water for showers and dishwashing. Swap out bulbs for flourscents. Modify your thermostat habits to save energy...especially AC in summer. Those sort of things can help alot.
ET

 

[element420]

Centrum,
Another angle...once you grow weary of cheap hotels and hookers ...is to look at other things in your house. Water heaters are very high use items. I put mine on a timer running it 2 hours a day and still manage to have enough warm water for showers and dishwashing. Swap out bulbs for flourscents. Modify your thermostat habits to save energy...especially AC in summer. Those sort of things can help alot.
ET

On demand water heaters for the win! And definately switch all the bulb nighlights to led nightlight bulbs is only a few bucks for 2 bulbs. And florescent powersaving bulbs everywhere in the home.

 

[sparkjumper]

With all due respect to effeciency its effeciency itself that is going to put growers that dont steal elec out of business.Obama just gave my state a lot of money for smart meters and such.I want my meters stupid thank you bitches

 

[EvilTwin]

With all due respect to effeciency its effeciency itself that is going to put growers that dont steal elec out of business.Obama just gave my state a lot of money for smart meters and such.I want my meters stupid thank you bitches

Hey Sparkjumper...
Could you explain what these smart meters do?

And I think I understand your point about efficiency...but explain that too.

Your post got me thinking. One thing I do is to only apply maximum efficiency when I'm actually growing. If I'm taking a little time off...then I'm extravagantly wasteful of electricity on purpose. I want high bills even when I'm not growing. I think that's better then having severe upswings and downswings of useage. Seems that would draw more attention.
ET

 

[Zeinth]

green?

green?

sounds like going green ??

every gas appliance that has a pilot uses 7 dollars a month depending on u.s..location..

rewire 110 volt high amp to 220 when possible..

solar rooftop 2k systems are 12,000 and up...


another interesting strain..sour bubble bx 4..grows with less light?

I didnt beleave it myself...till I saw it..weird.

sounds like u got all..all your needs going the right way...

 

[foomar]

Easy to forget about the extras and concentrate on the lights alone , good post and well presented.

Used the same room for decades and have managed to save electric with a few mods , every room will be different.

Switched to economy 7 for the low nightime rate , seven from twelve lighting hours are at a fraction of daytime rates.

Openned up an old chimney flue and use natural updraft to ventilate replaceing two fans and better security.

Cooltubed the main lights and cycle the heat in winter into an adjoining room through a closed loop , 1200 watts is enougth to heat it and replaces a storage heater.

Flowering would be unsafe here but make best use of a greenhouse for early vegging/revegging hidden amongst general greenhouse plants and tomatos.

Biggest saveing was reduceing heating in winter darkcycles down to the minimum the plants will grow well in , temps follow outdoors daytime and heater kicks in at 8 degrees C.
Helps to encourage indeterminate haze and zamal crosses to properly finish and preferable to altering light hours for me in a very mixed room.
Yield is down a little but the colours are nicer , some plants are a vastly different smoke cold grown , just watch humidity and keep it low with air movement or PM usually starts.

Have datalogged temp and humidity with a weather station and start to panic at 40% humidity , no PM ever seen below 30% at 8 c.

Have just realised that a cheap chinese oscillating fan from B&Q has been working constantly for over six years and has never been switched off , not too bad for a fiver and unexpected given its origin , might give it a drop of oil soon.
Six years times 35 watts is probably quite a lot but too stoned to do the maths.

 

[Deaner]

Is it possible to clone under 18 hours of light?

 

[EvilTwin]

Is it possible to clone under 18 hours of light?

Yup...I always have. Use a little overflow veg light...
ET

 

[Deaner]

Yup...I always have. Use a little overflow veg light...
ET

Thanks.. that's my exact plan!

 

[SupraSPL]

Fans have very low power factors (~.4). This could explain the high numbers you are seeing when multiplying amps X volts to get your wattage. For example I measured a bathroom fan and it draws 40 watts but has a power factor of .4 so in practice requires 90 VA from the grid. So you will get charged for the 40 watt value on your electric bill but the load on the grid is 90. This also applies to magnetically ballasted fluoros and HIDs that lack capacitors. Electronic and digital ballasts usually have very high power factors>90%.

You can test the power draw and power factor with these meters.

Good for you for looking at efficiency and that goes hand in hand with your search for "real genetics". Might as well grow highest quality buds right

 

[junior_grower]

I still run my veg, mother, and clone room at 24/0.I have two rows of shelving 24" apart on either side of the room. Half the lights are on when the other half are off, then they switch every 12 hrs. the room is nice and bright still but with only half the lights on I'm saving 11.52 kw per day.
As for my flower room I will be posting some new build pics soon, this room is being built to go for the most efficient sealed room possible.