What’s the Cost of Electricity to Grow Marijuana?

31/05/2021
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100W LED Average Electricity Cost

  • 1-5 oz Per Harvest
  • $10/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $55 (cllick it to learn more)

Quantum Board LEDs Average Electricity Cost

  • 5-10 oz Per Harvest
  • $23/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $97

250W MH/HPS Average Electricity Cost

  • 4-9 oz Per Harvest
  • $21/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $97

315W LEC Average Electricity Cost

  • 5-10 oz Per Harvest
  • $29/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $135

400W MH/HPS Average Electricity Cost

  • 7-14 oz Per Harvest
  • $46/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $176

600W Average Electricity Cost

  • 10-21 oz Per Harvest
  • $61/month
  • Initial Setup Cost: $260

Figuring Out the Cost of Electricity

This guide will teach you how to determine how much electricity you’ll be using each month for your garden. Once you know how much power you’re using, you can easily figure out the cost. I’ll also share a few estimates for the electricity cost of grow lights, fans, ACs, and more, so you’ll have a ballpark figure even if you’re not sure exactly how much you pay for electricity.

You need this information:

  • Cost of electricity where you live – this should be on your electricity bill and is usually measured in kWh
  • Wattage of light/fan/pump – If you’re not sure, the wattage information is typically on the box. For example, it might say 35W, 150W, or 600W.
  • Number of hours the appliance will be running – For example if it’s on 18 hours a day and you want to know how much it will cost each month, then you’d calculate 18 hours multiplied by about 30 days or approximately 540 hours/month

  • Here’s the formula which can be used not only to figure out the cost of electricity for the marijuana grow but also the cost per month:

    Cost of Electricity x Number of Hours x (Watts / 1000) = Total Cost

    Note: You need to divide the watts (W) by 1000 to plug it into the cost formula; this is to convert your number to kW so it plays nice with the kWh measurement you get from the electricity company. I’ll explain below with a few examples.

    Real-Life Example with 250W HPS Light
    ($161 in electricity for the light during the grow)

    Let’s look at a previous grow of mine. View the complete grow journal if you want to check it out!

  • Cost Electricity – $0.37/kWh (this is what we get charged for electricity, but it’s more than twice the average cost nationwide so you’d probably pay far less than this!)
  • Number Hours: 1,746 light hours (total hours with 250W HPS turned on)
    Veg: 41 days of 18/6 = 738 hours
    Flower: 84 days of 12/12 = 1,008 hours
  • Wattage/1000: I used a 250W HPS light. So, if I divide that by 1000 I get 0.250 kW for the formula.

  • Cost Electricity x Number of Hours x (Watts / 1000) = Total Cost

    $0.37 kWh x 1,746 hours x 0.250 kW = $161

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