What's new

smart power meter inquiry

Zen Master

Cannasseur
Veteran
I mean, my house has 4 bedrooms and I guess all told I'm pushing up near 4kw, and I'm getting pretty nervous about it. Bill's between $250-350, inches up towards $400 on a hot month or one where I really have everything running

I wish my bill was that low.
 
J

johndoe123

I wish my bill was that low.

X2 hot months and I got to a $700 bill come on cool weather! My way of battling smart meters is by using a horticontrol flip box and just run two flower rooms. Fuck that huge jump in power keep it nice and constant
 

coonword

Member
zen im having the same issue as you im sitting at like # 96 and i think im climbing lol but my bill hasnt hit 400 ever should i be worrying like i am? i dont get why the bill is so high usually a steady 350 my hot water is gas and gas dryer cfls threw the whole house and i try to keep things off sometimes thats hard and im only using 1 1000w and a 400w 100w in pumps and about 100w watts in extra things.
 

Strainhunter

Tropical Outcast
Veteran
X2 hot months and I got to a $700 bill come on cool weather! My way of battling smart meters is by using a horticontrol flip box and just run two flower rooms. Fuck that huge jump in power keep it nice and constant



yoinks.gif
yoinks.gif
yoinks.gif



It is not the ballast causing the surge, it is the bulb(s) getting fired up!

A device causing the ballasts to switch the load from one bulb to another is STILL causing a surge since a cold bulb still has to be "fired up" hence the resulting surge.

"A Flip Flop is NOT going to provide you with ANY SECURITY!
Flip Flops switch the load on your ballast to other bulb(s) (commonly used during the 12/12 cycle) causing the ballast not having to re-start. Many think the aforementioned process will avoid a spike (such as previously mentioned) but it will NOT lower your power bill.
The caveat is that the spikes, while not easily attributable to HID lighting (or whatever flavor), are most easily going to be recognized by their repeatability. Spikes of the same magnitude at a highly repeatable interval over several weeks are going to be suspect. Most spikes generated within a house are going to be from a device responding to a relatively random event (thermostat, etc), rather than a reasonably accurate 12 hour period. Unfortunately, this is probably an event that could be easily picked out by an automated search.

Spikes are NOT the main "give away" though - there are just too many of those around in an average household."



From this article I wrote:
Smart Meters - a few common misconceptions cleared up here.



.
 

NiteTiger

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...
Veteran
zen im having the same issue as you im sitting at like # 96 and i think im climbing lol but my bill hasnt hit 400 ever should i be worrying like i am? i dont get why the bill is so high usually a steady 350 my hot water is gas and gas dryer cfls threw the whole house and i try to keep things off sometimes thats hard and im only using 1 1000w and a 400w 100w in pumps and about 100w watts in extra things.

Biggest draw is environmental, meaning heating and cooling. Bump your thermostat to 75+ in summer and 68- in winter, watch your bill drop ;)
 

wantaknow

ruger 500
Veteran
I just had a new smart meter installed , three weeks later , I am getting flir by local police helo , just running small wattage 1200 plus a/c and pumps , scrubbers ,ect, they will get sued when they come in and find jap maples in the clone tub ,and veggies in the bloom room , show me the monie!
 

Tynehead Tom

Well-known member
my butcher I use during hunting season had a black suv roll into his compound and 2 bc hydro employees approached him due to high power use. There were two individuals in the back that never got out. he figured they were cops. All was good because the power was obviously not being used for a grow up but for giant freezers and coolers LOL
so, BC hydro, scopin out high use properties, with a coupla narcs in the back seat. Fuggers.
I ran magnetic ballasts because the frequency the digital ballasts give off is by far easier to pick up from the street, with the right equipment vs your smart meter knowing you are running a light or 10.
I've from 1 light to 10 lights at a time, and hundreds of outdoor every year, I've never been busted in over 20 years of growing.
 

stoned-trout

if it smells like fish
Veteran
smart meter knows all lol..even caught me putting power back into the system before I was supposed to...net metering is gonna come to an end get in now ....yeehaw..electric is gonna keep rising ...with rebates and incentives and such its now affordable and practical..even if ya cant afford the biggest system it might keep you out of the higher tiers andyou can always upgrade as ya go...the new systems are plug and play pretty much ..each panel has own inverter and microprocessor and can be checked wirelessly for voltage /issues...program tracks all usage for ya..
 

Shmavis

Being-in-the-world
Interesting discussion.

I’d like to say that it’s not as simple as saying the electric company just wants your money and doesn’t care what you’re using the electricity for. Back when I first set up and was reading about security tips it was regularly repeated to run lights at night. Yeah, this benefits the grower because night temps are lower and electric rates are usually less at night... but the main reason given was that your meter-reader didn’t see your meter spinning like a turbo-charged-top... especially since meters are generally read when the homeowner is at work... so why’s this meter going like a gyroscope when no one is home?

More to the current times: not sure just how widespread the smart meters are nowadays. But I know I have one. I also know from following local news that the electric company IS working with the township, at the township’s request, to report customers with unusually high usage.

So take care folks.
 
Last edited:

stoned-trout

if it smells like fish
Veteran
either way in the end at end of year some day they are gonna be paying me...in for 17 k now and doing another roof soon for the same....yeehaw...fuckem...the inspectors made it hard as hell but now I am in and can upgrade all I fucking want...yep solar can indeed power and do a grow...set for 3k now looking for 6 minimum solar soon
 
either way in the end at end of year some day they are gonna be paying me...in for 17 k now and doing another roof soon for the same....yeehaw...fuckem...the inspectors made it hard as hell but now I am in and can upgrade all I fucking want...yep solar can indeed power and do a grow...set for 3k now looking for 6 minimum solar soon

Really.. That's fucking awesome! 6k watts of free power is excellent. I mean, of course you had to invest but.. Keeping it off the electricity bill while hiding your usage is an excellent feat. Nice work.
 
Top