BeautySpotz

One big question you’ll probably want to know the answer to before you rush out to purchase a grow light system is, how much will it cost to run it? HID or high intensity discharge lights like high pressure sodium or metal halide lamps are costly to purchase. If you cannot afford to run them as long as you will need to for the benefit of your plants, they will be of little use to you and a real waste of your hard earned money.

There are charts you can use to help you choose the most efficient light fixtures and system for your plants based on type of light bulbs as well as wattage. There are also online calculators that can then help you determine how much your system will cost to run. Or you can use a simple formula and calculate the cost on your own.

First, take the combined wattage of your lights. Next, divide it by 1000 to determine the total kilowatts used. You then need to get out your electric bill and multiply this number by the cost per kilowatt hour. Now refer to your system’s wattage. A 1000 watt system will put out 1000 watts per hour. It is then simply a matter of multiplying the operating cost per hour times the hours per month you will run your lights.

Spread the word Delicious, Digg, Reddit