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Had idea to throw off tracking of power consumption

P@ssw0rd

New member
If your legal dont sweat it, been running 5x what the power company says "comperable homes" use for years now. Bill stays paid we all stay happy.
 

MJBadger

Active member
Veteran
Ummm...or a washer and dryer...or a stove...or a large tv / entertainment system...or a gaming desktop computer, or a server station, or central heating / AC, or...

The reality is...there are many things that use large amounts of power. However, the key is staying within a reasonable range of your house size / neighbors. If all your community has similarly sized homes, you assume the power usage will be within a given range per sq footage / weather conditions, etc. It's when your power usage is 3x that of your surroundings that throws up the first red flag - not exactly how much of it you are using or in what intervals.



dank.Frank


Dank Frank said it all , it`s not what goes on & off it`s the amount of units used at the end of the month that will light up a red flag .
 
Just run 2 Bloom rooms on a flip, then you have constant power draw and dont have to worry about them seeing the 12/12 schedule that is a dead give away.

The capability of the smart meter is such that I don't believe one can actually pull off a switch w/o a "gap", no matter how brief. HID lights take a min to power up, and I know that there is really no way for me to do tht with my inter-matic mech timers. If there is a digital unit out there......I had that same thought when they installed mine. We were able to opt out of that program at the time.
 
L

Lapplandish

Excuse me for asking, but who do you think is following your meter? How many customers does these electric companies have? I mean, it would take a lot of people to check these things out, even from logs. Because it really takes a lot of work. And do some of you actually think that these companies hire people to do that? Hire people to remove a good customer? You people are crazy.
 

MJBadger

Active member
Veteran
Computer software will find them as soon as , remember that we all exist on a comp somewhere .
 

vapeman24

Member
Here's a question.

Let's say johnny law for some reason gets suspicious and looks into your usage and sees the patterns and have a good idea you are growing. Lets also say that your grow op has not been reported by anyone for suspicious smells or anything like that. Even if they see you are running 10kw on a 12-12 schedule, is there really anything they can do without having any type of other evidence you might be growing?

For instance a while ago I read an article where a couple was growing vegetables in their basement in a hydro setup. Cops got a warrant and busted the place in only to find vegetables being grown. Never did look into it again to see if they tried to press charges on the police.

So what does it really take for cops to get a warrant? Who's to say I'm not just growing vegetables inside? How can police get a warrant based solely on power consumption?
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
The energy companies here are obliged to make efforts to reduce their customers consumption and will send a letter to houses with more than double the average for house type , on the old style meters.

This could become more invasive with smart technology and appliances , and if police are confirming other evidence.

Perhaps a 5/2/5 schedule of hps/led/hps would confuse and help conceal the more obvious and easily searchable 12 hour cycle.


There must be a way to remove the signature with some kind of line cleaning device or supply stabiliser , and a possible marketable growroom accessory.
 

yujin

New member
You know, if you just pay your bill, they will more than likely be happy to take your money and not ask questions. The only time the power companies really care, is when you're stealing power. They tend to leave paying customers alone.
 

qupee

Member
It still surprises me how paranoid small growers get. Power companies sell power and push off hours usage. And I can attest that having an electric bill that's 4x your neighbors isn't as alarming as you think. Household consumption varies by members and usage patterns. If your power bill is being supenad you fucked up somewhere else

It isn't a problem until LEO pulls your usage. Then they are coming for you.

Here's a question.

Let's say johnny law for some reason gets suspicious and looks into your usage and sees the patterns and have a good idea you are growing. Lets also say that your grow op has not been reported by anyone for suspicious smells or anything like that. Even if they see you are running 10kw on a 12-12 schedule, is there really anything they can do without having any type of other evidence you might be growing?

For instance a while ago I read an article where a couple was growing vegetables in their basement in a hydro setup. Cops got a warrant and busted the place in only to find vegetables being grown. Never did look into it again to see if they tried to press charges on the police.

So what does it really take for cops to get a warrant? Who's to say I'm not just growing vegetables inside? How can police get a warrant based solely on power consumption?

As you've already alluded to, it takes very little. There's also stories of houses getting raided for doing too much laundry, or running a bit coin farm.

If LEO pulls your use, 50% over average is enough for them to proceed. Then they will pull your trash and a stem will be found, often whether there was one there or not, and they'll explain to the judge how every time they surveilled the blinds were drawn. 1, 2, 3. Warrant. They're coming in the next morning after they pull that trash.
 

supermanlives

Active member
Veteran
I got smart meter at my other pad. they look for cycles like 12/12 and so .turning on an off a 1500 watt heater wont do anything but make bill higher the way you describe
 

JKD

Well-known member
Veteran
In my case the Power Company rang to offer a lower charge/Kw/hr due to being a high usage customer (I was only running 2400W though). As others have said keep your bills paid on time and be careful with where you shop and where/how you dispose of your waste. Start growing as soon as possible when in a new property.

In general the higher the household earnings, the greater the electricity demand. Affluent suburbs have much higher average electricity usages.
 

Dropped Cat

Six Gummi Bears and Some Scotch
Veteran
Good stuff. My grow is under 400w total, and I sweat getting
narc'd on by my electric company.

Smart meter.

Fucking bullshit I say. I would opt out if I had the option.
By opting out red flags are raised, no?
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
You could object on the grounds of heath , refer them to a nut job site like beforeitsnews , should work and who cares if they think you are mad.

For once a conspiracy site might be useful.
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
if I was that concerned, I would run the light 24 hrs a day and have a light mover on rails move it over another grow box every 12 hours...
 

SativaBreather

Active member
Veteran

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
You seem to be scared of everything . . .

Just like with mobile phones and baby monitors, smart meters emit low radio frequency emissions. This allows meter readings to be wirelessly transmitted to us and means no more estimated bills as smart meters send a message, similar to an SMS, with gas and electricity readings back to British Gas once a day.

If you are unsure about radio emissions, Public Health England (PHE) – formerly the Health Protection Agency - provides advice and information around of variety of domestic appliances.

PHE state there is no evidence to suggest that exposure to the radio waves produced by smart meters poses any health risk. In addition, they state that the exposure from smart meters are lower than from other appliances we use today like televisions and microwaves, and likely to be thousands of times lower than from a mobile phone. Their website states: ‘the evidence to date suggests exposures to the radio-waves produced by smart meters do not pose a risk to health’. For more details on smart meters and health, please see PHE's website

If you can find any peer reviewed studies showing harm from the RF emissions of smart meters rather than scaremongering anecdotal tube clips I would like to see them.
 

devilgoob

Active member
Veteran
Negative.

You want two grows on either side of a vertical bulb, and a sheath that every 12 hours, is powered to one side, where overlapping flaps come together block light for one side, giving the other side light.

Basically with this set up, you're creating night and day, and your bulb is contiunously on.



You could put a plasma bulb or arcing device in your window, so anyone that looks, knows you're pretty serious. About electricity. It sends a message to someone. They might think "Hey, I connect wires and read electricity, but this person might be Magneto."
 
smart meters can not tell the difference between a 3000 watt dryer and a 3000 watt oven. The device you are powering has to be "smart-ready" before they can see what's running exactly. Technically this feature is used to monitor your power/energy usage on new "smart appliances"
but they can see the difference between your hps and that heater :laughing:
 
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