That’s right, you can do this today and save up to 30% on your electric bill. No, this isn’t click bait and I’m not trying to sell some widget. You’ll spend at least $25 per month for the electricity to run a small grow. It only goes up from there, and a caregiver with 3 patients could easily be consuming an average of $200 per month (you will cringe if you see my bill right now, in the middle of the summer). So what’s the trick?
It’s easy; AVOID PEAK HOURS!
My electric company charges double for electricity between 6a – 8a and again between 4p – 8p each evening. Some have a ‘summer peak hour’ schedule as well, usually extending the evening peak time to account for daytime AC usage. I suppose I understand why this is. This is the time(s) of day when the transmission lines are near capacity and working hard.
The answer is to simply adjust your light cycles to avoid these times of day as best you can. I admit, it’s a pain not being able to visit my flowers until after 8p at night. However, my wallet is very thankful.
There’s no way to avoid both peak times, but since the evening is the longest such period, we opt to turn our lights on starting at 8:10 pm. The flowering lights turn off at around 8am, and the vegetative will turn off around 2:00 pm each day. In turn, this also takes the pressure off of your air conditioner somewhat, at least during the day when it is hottest. During the winter, keep this same schedule to supplement hourse-hold heat with heat from your lighting.
Don’t attempt to turn off dehumidifiers or air conditioners during peak hours. Environmental controls MUST be on at all times to avoid trouble.
Finally, if you’re adjusting your lighting cycle I always recommend a ‘long day’ before turning your lights off at the new time. I’ve found that most varieties respond better to adjustments to daytime lighting, rather than night time lighting. In other words, I’d prefer to give a flowering plant a 22 hours day before going back to 12/12 (on/off) cycle. This is preferred to giving a short/long night cycle to make the adjustment.
Remember: dark cycles should be sacred. Don’t interrupt them!
Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —
