lights and energy

[pedecamera]

Folks,
So far I have never grown a plant under lights.... Ok I have not gotten a bloom in several years
My phals are next to a window. room temp is about 21 in days and down to 17 at night. ( they grow in s/h I am using these reddish pebbles )
I also play with solar energy, so I am very "cheap" with my energy ( I am on the grid ) I have a very small solar system. nothing to power my house, just a few small lights...I am learning this stuff too.
What I am trying to say, I do not like to have "big " lights on the grid going.
And here I come with my question. The lights you guys are talking about ( in many of these threads ) what do they use?. And do I have to use lights to get my plants to bloom again... any other good window tricks?

[calvin_orchidL]

Hello! Here in Ontario, the lighting bill is around 5c a kilowatt hour (if I remember correctly from the recent electricity report), and it's even cheaper at night! A 150W light setup with either HPS/MH or even fluorescents is the same as running 2 incandescent bulbs, but it's enough light for a few orchids..I think it comes down to around 3-4 dollars a month if my calculations are correct

Then again, I don't think you need artificial lights for phals if you have good window space - put them in a south window if possible - i hear that's the best

[SheilaJ]

There are tons of different types of lights, in all sorts of wattages. It depends on how many plants of what sizes and types you want to grow. But realistically, it's going to use a fair amount of power to add enough light to make a difference for the plant.

Occasionally I feel guilty about it. But it's a whole lot less energy than heating a greenhouse would be, and it works just as well for my purposes. (But I'd still rather have a greenhouse to hide from my family in sometimes!)

[Ocelaris]

The energy we use on plants is such a small amount compared to the wasted gas and other infrastructure, I know my 400-700watts I use aren't going to waste, they're producing something wonderful. I'm limited to my 2 computers and plants on one circuit, so that's my limiting factor, 15 amps = 1650 watts... I bought a P3 energy meter, and have been going around measuring different things... Computer = 250watts

I use about 250watts for my small 2x2x4 foot fixture, fans, pumps, lights everything. I have a 100w metal halide, and 2x 36w compact fluorescents, about 6 fans which aren't always on, but are about 10 watts each.

Now on my BIG tank I am building, I'm plotting out about a 700watt budget, 500 watts for lights, and 200 for fans, pumps, humidifiers etc...


I have energy efficient lighting everywhere, so my largest bulb is a 100watts, and that is bright enough to light our entire kitchen/living room. We live in NYC and pay about 23c per kwh


If you're going to get an artificial light to supplement, to get the most out of it, get a really good reflector. You don't have to get big lights, but keep the lights as close as possible to the plants as light drops off exponentially in relation to distance. I use a 100w Metal Halide fixture and that grows a good 2x2 area to high light levels... Good reflectors make the difference in efficiency.