what's your electric bill/ how many watts do you use/do you worry about it?

SnapsProvolone

Well-Known Member
I never understood the idea of the power company potentially calling the cops for a spike in usage. Their business is selling electricity so I cant see why they would be anything other than stoked if you start using MORE electricity because that means they get MORE money. Seems like bad business to call the cops on your best customers. It isn't their policy to ask what you have plugged in, they just put your usage into a calculator and send you the bill.
I personally know of a meter reader that got $10k for tipping off a 12kW grow.
 

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
how would a meter reader even know? Did he smell it? I mean they just write the numbers down and go to the next house.

course now with the smart meters they don't even do that.
they don't even have to get out of their truck.
 

SnapsProvolone

Well-Known Member
how would a meter reader even know? Did he smell it? I mean they just write the numbers down and go to the next house.

course now with the smart meters they don't even do that.
they don't even have to get out of their truck.
Bill was high. He put in a smart meter. There was a backup generator on a propane pill. He just put two and two together. Leo looked at water bill and got a warrant.
 

Nutes and Nugs

Well-Known Member
how would a meter reader even know? Did he smell it? I mean they just write the numbers down and go to the next house.

course now with the smart meters they don't even do that.
they don't even have to get out of their truck.
I was thinking the same thing.
Snaps has good advice and I like his posts but,

Unless the readers old tablet device is programed with user data.

My meter has a big metal disk that spins slow when you're not using much.
A big space heater or air conditioner can make that disk spin like a 45 rpm record.
Electronic meters may hold more info, I dunno but really how are these guys tipsters?
My gas meter can be read by driving by the house and I doubt the driver is paying attention.
 

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Bill was high. He put in a smart meter. There was a backup generator on a propane pill. He just put two and two together. Leo looked at water bill and got a warrant.

If I knew who that rat was I'd burn his fucking house down.

or at least loosen the brake lines on his car

greedy fuck.

gonna fuck somebodies life up for 10k?
 

SnapsProvolone

Well-Known Member
This is Joe's point, how would the reader know if the bill was high or not?
Ummm "meter reader".. duhh. High readings.. when a house reads like a business they go "whaaa?"

Then a smart meter gets installed in place of the platter. (Time to shut down)

They see the 12/12 usage pattern for a few weeks....
 

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Ummm "meter reader".. duhh. High readings.. when a house reads like a business they go "whaaa?"

Then a smart meter gets installed in place of the platter. (Time to shut down)

They see the 12/12 usage pattern for a few weeks....

All the meters around here went to smart meters a while back.
 

Nutes and Nugs

Well-Known Member
I personally know of a meter reader that got $10k for tipping off a 12kW grow.
I see. It was someone that worked an office job.
Alerted the hardware dept to install a Smart meter....

We still have actual people to do the job here.
Well.. when they don't give you a "estimated bill".
 

lumbo

Well-Known Member
We still have actual people to do the job here.
Well.. when they don't give you a "estimated bill".
Not for long, if you are in the USA. Smart meters are coming. If anyone dares to grow in an illegal state certain measures must be taken. Read up and use your brain. With a bit of subterfuge the on/off cycles can be made less obvious to the automated programs looking for them. Smart meters are going to help the pigs reap massive assets and ruin a lot of people's lives in the near future.
 

SableZen

Well-Known Member
Not for long, if you are in the USA. Smart meters are coming. If anyone dares to grow in an illegal state certain measures must be taken. Read up and use your brain. With a bit of subterfuge the on/off cycles can be made less obvious to the automated programs looking for them. Smart meters are going to help the pigs reap massive assets and ruin a lot of people's lives in the near future.
We've had digital smart meters where I'm at for awhile (years). I know a couple of people that do larger types of grows than I'd ever want to do - no doors kicked in yet that I know about as a result of the meters.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
We've had digital smart meters where I'm at for awhile (years). I know a couple of people that do larger types of grows than I'd ever want to do - no doors kicked in yet that I know about as a result of the meters.
Same here, we've had them for years. If anything they lower the risk, no guys coming around, perhaps seeing or smelling something. Cops have to have another reason and a good one, enough to issue a warrant and request the billing history, they can't just ask for it, would never hold up in court with any competent lawyer. Just pay the bill, don't try to run 10,000W and you'll be fine. Pay more attention to making sure no one knows and don't give them a reason to suspect.
 

JohnnySocko

Active Member
I think if your bill is under $400 or living in a trailer park, that worrying over your electric bill might be a lil paranoid...
....for all they know you might have a electric heater, a heat pump, pond, big ass fish tank, computers, big screen TV's , guest, electric water heater, or maybe you grow wheat grass & microgreens.... et et
 

JointOperation

Well-Known Member
how about household bill used to be 1600$ a month.. with 5000w in lights.. .. but we had 6 people living there.. everyone had big tvs.. xbox360s or ps3s.. laptops desktops.. washer dryer electric heat.. electric everything.. id say the grow itself was only 600$ . but doing laundry for 6-8 people depending on if people had there girlfriends there or not..

so for anyone thinking im just going to start a nice big grow and make tons of cash.. lol.. it doesnt work like that.. say u setup a 20 light setup.. with minimal equipment and flip flops instead of 20 ballasts.. u pay 1400$ for ballasts 2800$ on hoods.. 1000$ on bulbs 1500-2000$ on fans and filters.. another 7-10 grand on soil . nutes.. wood to build rooms.. pandafilm or reflectix.. reservoirs and watering systems.. environmental controllers timers flipflops and such.. for 10 ballasts .. 20 lights on flip flops.. making a 20,000w just for 2 flower rooms.. then another 2 grand for veg rooms and cloning shit..

for a investment.. it ends up being like 20-30 grand.. for a OK setup.. with 20 lights.. if setup properly and run the right strains.. u can end up with 20-30 pounds PER room.. 2 rooms. so 40-60 pounds every 3 months..

but if u havent done this before.. and or have a grower who hasnt grown a big setup before.. u end up only yielding say.. 10 pounds per room.. and of subpar buds.. so instead of making a decent amount of money.. your first few harvests pay for your equipment.. and electric bills. then u can start making money.. but if u put all your savings into growing.. and then have bugs.. a fire.. or hermis.. or get robbed.. or busted... u can lose EVERYTHING overnight. and then your fucked..

this is why.. alot of people will tell you.. if you want to grow big.. work your way up to it.. start with 1-2 lights.. and build yourself up to 20 lights.. so by the time.. u have spent that 30 grand on a setup.. u wont have such a huge amount of work and a huge risk trying to make it work.. you will have already learned how to grow.. dialed in the strains your working with . and ontop of that.. you will be pulling in good yields with the lights you have.. and found the way you like to grow that gets you best yield.. and found what nutes you like and at wat strength.. like theres ALOT MORE TO GROWING then just dropping a bunch of cash on equipment and a place to grow.. and then just putting some seeds or clones in pots.. and watching your MONEY GROW..

ALOT MORE WORK.. for a 20 light setup.. it turns into 50-80 hour work weeks.. and usually u try to either do perpetual so u dont need to trim soo much at 1 time.. and then u have ur turn over rate at every 5 weeks you harvest 1 room.. and fill up the room also.. basicly while your shit is drying.. u need to be filling your room back up. the more time its empty.. the less bud u produce each year.. so the work isnt as easy as everyone makes it out to be.. to produce a product that competes with Cali buds.. and Colorado grown nugs.. u need skills. luck or a great MENTOR.
 

schuylaar

Well-Known Member
Bill was high. He put in a smart meter. There was a backup generator on a propane pill. He just put two and two together. Leo looked at water bill and got a warrant.
one reason why i bring in my own water..the other is for ph..i use spring but i'm only at 1400w with a t-5 in veg at any given time.
 
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