Time Of Use and Summer Grow Issues
Time Of Use
Summer has finally come to an end. Don’t get me wrong, I love the boost of endorphins from the sizzling summer sky. But the city’s electricity rates have significantly risen over the past few years. In fact, my city has made it to the top 10 for the most expensive electricity rates.
You might be thinking, ‘Everyone in the state pays the same electricity prices, so what’s the big deal?’ But wait until you see my summer electric bill, it will be shocking!
That’s .33¢ per kilowatt per-hour for on peak hours, but wait theres more.
And, that is whopping .81¢ per kilowatt per-hour for super peak hours!
When you total everything up, the grand total comes to $1.14 per kilowatt-hour for on/super peak usage during the four summer months. The on peak-hours run from 8 am to midnight, with super-peak hours in between from 2 pm to 6 pm on weekdays. Any other time is considered off-peak, with a much lower rate of .082¢.
For those unfamiliar with the terms on-peak and off-peak or never seen them on their electric bills, it’s because I’ve chosen an electricity plan called Time Of Use. Essentially, this means I pay a higher electricity rate during the summer period from June 1st to September 30th. In return, I benefit from a lower rate during off-peak hours.
With off-peak rates below ten cents per kilowatt-hour, I end up paying less than the cheapest electricity rate available in the entire country.
While lower electricity costs during nighttime might seem appealing, adopting this plan can dramatically change your usual summer habits.
Unplug Everything
To truly benefit from the savings, it’s necessary to turn off appliances during super peak-hours (2-6PM) and minimize on-peak hours usage. And yes, that translates to foregoing air conditioner use throughout the summer unless you’re willing to burn a hole in your pocket.
Unplug devices you suspect might consume electricity even when turned off. Strangely enough, my TV still draws 30 watts when it’s switched off — talk about a sneaky energy thief!
During on-peak hours, only the refrigerator and my monitor/mac mini remain powered on. Devices with rechargeable batteries, like cell phones, can be charged using power banks during the day.
And those same power banks are charged every other night to take advantage of the lower electric cost to prepare for next-day charges.
While the chore can get repetitive, it’s manageable. And despite the electricity price situation, I did make an attempt to grow several plants but luck wasn’t on my side.
Summer Cannabis Growing
I usually steer clear of summer grows due to the spike in electricity costs. But this season, I ventured to see firsthand what I’m dealing with.
What can possibly go wrong? Oh you, know the just the usual. May I please have the following to go, and extra fungus gnats on the side.
- Electric Cost
- Spider-mites
- Fungus Gnats
- Low PH Watering
Electric Cost – I devised a strategy to use a rechargeable photography LED light during on and super peak hours. The el cheapo batteries wasn’t doing me much favor as they drain too fast on higher power setting. Mostly set to 10-30% with light distance of 12 inches.
This approach was able to pull through during the seedling phase’s first two weeks, ensuring the plants didn’t stretch too much.
Spider-mites – I’d never dealt with spider mites before this incident, so I didn’t realize that all the grow medium was infested from the start.
Even thereafter, it didn’t immediately strike me as an issue. Growing organically, one expects some bugs, like springtails. It was only when the plants began showing signs of distress that I took careful notice.
See that tiny translucent dot on the cotyledons? That’s the culprit. Now, imagine that dot multiplied by potentially thousands. The damaged bottom leaf done by the spider-mites.
Solution – Lost Coast Therapy. Apply daily during night till spider-mites disappears.
Fungus Gnats – Gnats are tiny, pesky insects that are a significant nuisance for cannabis growers. Their larvae feed on organic matter, including the tender roots of cannabis plants. By feeding on the roots, it causes stress and can stunt the plant’s growth and other potential issues.
Solution – Yellow Sticky Traps and Summit Mosquito Bits. Used every watering till gnats are gone. And smells like medicine.
Low PH Watering – I recently switched to a bottled mix of quillaja saponaria and yucca schidigera, known for wetting agents. However, this led to a pH imbalance, notably increasing the acidity. My tap water PH hovers around 7, therefore not much PH adjustment needed.
My previous wetting agent from Buildasoil, which only contained quillaja saponaria, didn’t impact the pH in the slightest. So I was basically adding acidic water over time of PH 4.
I should have known, cause it smelled like soy sauce.
Solution – Use an PH pen every time, especially when adding new ingredient to regime.
In the end, the plants persevered and reached maturity. The autoflower did experience some stunting, resulting in a smaller size, but it more than made up for it with its fantastic aroma.
The summer grow caught me a bit off-guard, but each hiccup taught me something new. I could have come up with an better solution with a bigger battery pack and a COB videography light. With those lessons in hand, I’m gearing up for a second go-round next year.
Perhaps something like this can work? We’ll just have to wait and see.
How Do I Convert to Time Of Use?
You can easily switch to the ‘Time Of Use’ plan by contacting your electricity service provider, provided they offer this option. To make the switch, you typically have two main routes:
- Ensure the electric bill is under your name.
- Discuss with your landlord.
Before making the leap, consider whether this plan suits your needs, especially given the much higher summer electricity costs. It’s essential to understand that reverting might not be immediate once you switch over.
After I made the change, I was informed that I couldn’t reverse the decision for 18 months. So, it’s crucial to double-check with your electricity provider before making any commitments.