What is the most economical lights?

I just got my electric bill, It’s Up over $300 from before I had my 5x5 tent with (2) 400 lights in it, a radiator type heater, a small mister and fan. If I switched to the LED lights would it save me much? Don’t think I can spend $300 a month on just the electric. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Many LEDs claim they can save 40% on electric I’ll tag the guy who can best explain what your best options are. @dbrn32, there are others that can help also.

What kind of 400 watts? If they are 400 watt HPS, MH or CMH then yes, switching to led will save you money.

I’ll assume you have hps in your tent. So you are using 800 watts per hour if both lights are on for 12 hours that is 9,600 watt hours or 9.6 killowatt hours (9.6 kWh). kWh is what an electric bill is usually charged in. So is what you use when both your lights are on for 12 hours. The hlg light that would cover the same area would use 480 watts per hour. So your savings would be 40% roughly.

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You’re right on. May I ask? What size LED should I order?

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Do you have a budget.

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Thats what it always comes down too. Lol. I’m not sure what HLG would go in a 5x5. 2-260s maybe

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Whatever is the best without going over the top is my budget.:wink: I will look into the 260’s. Thanks so much.

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Hmmm I’m finding 600W, 900 or 1200----------which is equivalent to 260? (So much for me to learn).

Horticultural Lighting Group, another place is BudgetLed Both will have options that will get you where you want to go

If you’re looking on Amazon and seeing 600w 900w 1200w those are misleading. Please go to HLG or Budget led directly.

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Both sites will have break down of which light is sufficient for your space.

@Dealra how quickly are you making this decision?

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OK will do–I’m trying to get this done ASAP. Thanks again!

I know how you feel. If you’re not sure about something slow down and ask questions on forum

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@dbrn32 is the expert in such matters but on hlg or rightbud they have the lights and tell you the size area they cover for veg and flower.

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I second this.

I remember we talked through the decision to purchase the second 400w light, and that all felt a little hurried to me.

Perhaps we should evaluate your entire plan and see if we can’t find some other efficiency improvements that will lower your costs. It’s entirely up to you. I certainly don’t want to make you feel like we’re criticizing your previous purchases and decisions.

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I can say this… I run a Fluence SydrX LED with a small fan, a 6" AC Infinity. I start out with the light on at 25 percent for small plants and need to supplement with a heater for a bit… then the plants can handle more, I crank the light up to 50 percent and by then I dont need the heater anymore or the little humidifier. My room is 4X5. My average cost per day was 1 dollar last winter. So thats 30 bucks a month. Now to be fully transparent I live in Canada and power may be cheaper here per kilowatt hour? But yes a GOOD quality LED is worth the investment on the whole.

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I will happily take any suggestions. I just feel I need to upgrade my lights sooner then later because of the electric bill. My 3 monster clones and 3 photo seeds are doing really well. Almost to bud stage. I just can’t goof it up now :). Thanks so very much for the help.

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I’m assuming you are using a fan to pull filtered air out of the tent. You’re also heating the tent. And the lights put out a good amount of heat when they’re on. Whichever way you go as far as lights, they all generate heat. Let’s see if we can’t use that to your advantage.

If your filter is up above the lights, you’re pulling heat out of the tent. If you move the intake to the bottom of the tent, you’ll be pulling cooler air out, and you might not need to run the radiator as much while the lights are on.

If you’ve been running both lights since Xmas, odds are you over-lit the plants. I don’t remember seeing photos, but I’d guess there’s ample space in your tent. Previously, I mentioned a second HPS light, but I meant you would use it once the plants got big. If you start with one light and all plants loosely gathered together in a corner, you could cut that bill down. I like those trifold science-fair boards as reflectors, but a Mylar sheet could work too. A $2 emergency blanket, in a pinch.

Before you buy another light, it’s worth examining your needs and timetable. Maybe you’re better off buying a second smaller tent (3’x3’ or 2’x4’) with a matching LED to vegetate the plants until they go into the big tent for flowering. Or maybe you can meet all your needs with a smaller tent and small but efficient light. I think you want to be really clear on how much cannabis you need to have, so that you aren’t wasting hundreds every cycle by growing too much.

Edit: with the setup you have, I’d expect myself to grow around 16 ounces every 4 months. That might cost $1200 in electricity, but it would save me $3,600 because cannabis is $300 an ounce or more here. However, I only need 4-6 ounces per year, so I’d be foolish to grow more than twice that amount in 4 months.

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There are several trains of thought here. I will use HLG and PLC because I am familiar and like their product. There are alternatives that others can help with.

Pacific Lighting Concepts
@Bulldognuts just built two lights to cover half his 4x8 from pacific lighting concepts and has had good results with the lights. I am waiting for my boards to come in and I will complete two of these for my 4x4 tent. I’m sure they would be good in a 5x5 tent as well. These are the diy lights that are the most involved.

HLG
One HLG-550 would do well I the tent. 480w at the wall

One 600w kit would cover the 5x5 very nicely. 620w at the wall

Two 260w kits would cover your 5x5 very well also. 560w at the wall for 2

As you see there are lots of options in the HLG line. Each has a different price point and power usage. Don’t be afraid of the kits. If you can put together a puzzle I’m confident you can make them. Plus, unlike puzzles, they come with instructions.

Like I said their are lots of options and I’m sure some will disagree with me and that’s fine. It is why I like this forum adult discussions can be had. Check the HLG online retailers sometimes they have inventory when HLG might not, plus they run sales.

At the end. It comes down to your budget. But if you can save $150 a month in light costs you pay for the lights in a couple months. :wink:

I’m sure @dbrn32 can add song me to the conversation.

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