Home Made Grow Lights

[Bigmallly]

Lighting all those oil lamps took a lot of energy.......

Very good VC.........

[veggiechicken]

[vikkib]

Yikes!

I really can't believe how quickly my shallots are coming on since going under the light. I have some on the window sill and some under the light and the difference is HUGE and they've only been in for two 8ish hour sessions!

I've sown some chillies, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and basil seeds today... I even put a couple of melon seeds in pots... maybe this will give me half a chance at getting a fruit over the size of an orange this year!

[Bigmallly]

Just a quikki Vikki..............are your chains going under or over the tubes? Let me rephrase that........are the chains supporting the tubes or the light fixture?

[vikkib]

Just a quikki Vikki..............are your chains going under or over the tubes? Let me rephrase that........are the chains supporting the tubes or the light fixture?

They're supporting the diffuser that goes over the tube. There isn't anything on the top of the light fitting to connect the chain too and it's such a slim fitting there isn't much space along it that isn't light tube (if that makes sense!)

It's an under cupboard light fitting and did come with a couple of different fixings which can be slotted into the top though.

[Bigmallly]

Ok Vikki, I didn't notice the diffuser.

[poly]

Great thread, cheers
I've just made a stand/frame for my lights with plastic pipe and fittings left over from my hoop-house, fab

[vikkib]

Can anyone help me with the maths to work out the costs of running my light?!

I'm trying to work it out for a friend who is interested in getting one too!

My light is 21w

21 / 1000 = 0.021 kwh (per hour)

0.021 kwh x 8 hours per day = 0.168 kwh per day

0.168 kwh x 7 days a week = 1.176 kwh per week

1.176 kwh x 9.17p* = 10.78p per week

So just under 11p a week?!

Surely that can't be right... I really thought it would be more... have I got a decimal point in the wrong place somewhere? Surely I must have?


* My energy tariff says this is my unit rate for the leccie, well it says 9.17p

[Aberdeenplotter]

a 100 watt bulb burns one unit per hour I think. Your 21 watt bulb will burn a fifth(approx) of that so 0.2 units per hour. In 24 hours you will burn 24 x0.2 = 4.8 units x 9.17p =approx 45 p per day? or approx £3 per week..

My 400w son t agro bulb on that basis burns 4 units per hour, x 9p =36 p x 12 = £4.32 per day (it's on a time switch) so that's £120 per month for three months. That's why I bought an led lamp instead which uses a fraction of the power. problem is, it doesn't generate heat so I have a thermostatically controlled fan heater running as well. I don't smoke and drink very little so I justify the cost as being
not a lot to spend on my hobby/entertainment but it's scaryto do the sums

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just to try and clear up the cost thing.

A kilowatt hour kWh is equivalent to 1000 watts of power or 3.6 megajoules of energy.

Therefore as an example a 60 watt bulb burns 0.06 kWh per hour of burning.

A 21 watt bulb burns 0.021 kWh every hour.

Looks to me as if Vikki has this one right.

Now ask me who's been swatting up on all this ready for 4 days of exams starting Monday

Potty

[Aberdeenplotter]

hmm 10 hrs with a 100 w bulb is a unit. I remember now

[veggiechicken]

Think how please Ap is going to be when he realises how wrong he is
£12 a month not £120 (I think). Should be enough to buy you a few bottles of something nice Potty

[Potstubsdustbins]

By this time next Thursday I will need that large malt in the mean time sobriety rules. Well after Sunday lunch when I shall meet with my gardening buddy in the pub. After all somebody has to put the world to rights.

Potty

[Bigmallly]

I think you are right vikki.......1000/21 = 47.61. So you use 1kw every 47.61 hours. Therefore 9.17p every 6 days..........Correct me if I am wrong.

[redser]

Agree with vikki. Mine comes out at about 10/month and its a 60 watt bulb. Roughly the same