Energy Crisis

[mass]

So here's the dilly..
I can no longer afford to run my AC in the GH anymore.
Our electric bills are averaging $350 a month.
I knew as soon as I hit the button to turn off the AC, everything was going to change.
After a serious emotional breakdown this weekend (because that GH is my life), I'm ready to move forward. I know there's nothing I can do about this change, so I'm ready to man up and put the wheels into motion.

Everything I know about controlling every little aspect of my GH is now out the window.
I need to figure out what's next.
As of today I'm running 2 humidifiers, 5 fans (was 2 plus the AC), 8 T5HO's, and 4 T8's. Hopefully the fans can move the air enough to keep the place from heating up too badly. I did try evaporative cooling using the humidifiers and heat from the lights, but it wasn't working enough to keep the GH at a manageable temperature.
Another option is to move the entire GH outside, but I'm too scared. Bug infestations, uncontrollable conditions, you name it.. Too much to go wrong with my prized possessions. Not sure I can seriously consider this option without something polycarbonate.

My mind is all over the place. I don't know what is best, or what to do.
Part of me wants to shed some (natural) light on my babies, but the other part wants to keep them in the den where they're safe from nature's fury. Just not sure I can afford that anymore. I mean, what's to say removing AC from the equation is even enough to lower the elec. bill to a manageable amount.
I just dunno..
All I know for sure is that my plants are already starting to suffer from abnormally high temps (for what they're used to). And that something needs to be done asap. Otherwise I can start scratching things off my grow list.. starting with D. schizandra. They seem to be taking the elevated temps the hardest.

I am open to recommendations, suggestions, or the cold shoulder.
Not sure if switching out my 15,000BTU tall boy AC for a smaller 5,000BTU window AC unit would make any (financial) difference. But it's a thought..

AS FOR YOU GIVEAWAY PARTICIPANTS..
I wanted to make sure I could sustain the life in the GH before carrying on with a month long giveaway. I mean, how bad would it suck to have 9 winners, none of which won anything that was still alive. Ya know?
If you guys (and gal) still want your free stuff, it's cool. I'm a man of my word..
Shoot me a PM, and we'll see if we can work something out.
I have lost quite a few things already to the temps, but maybe I still have something here you want. Who knows..

So there you have it TF. Yet another explanation for mass's off the wall behavior.

 

[kulamauiman]

run the lights at night. ambient cooling. Day time high temps + lights = more cooling. less need for AC to cool when they are running. Maybe better electrical rate at night also, I forget. Add things that will have thermal mass. Reduce wide swings of temp. Jugs of water. Evaporative cooling? But guessing you guys have high humidity issues being so close to the lakes .

 

[mass]

But wouldn't that cause a shorter light period, with a longer dark period?

 

[kulamauiman]

just making a 12 hour shift. everything remains on and off for the same number of hours. Potentially ends up more light because I am certain they will get some ambient light in the day. Just need to see if you guys have an "off peak demand" time and if that time they get you better electricity rates. that will be the home run. I think Joseph Clemens did something like this in Arizona.

 

[Devon]

Sorry to hear about that Travis.. But I think that what Kula said may work well. May as well give it a try since there aren't many other choices, if any.

Good luck!

 

[mato]

First of all, why not remove all the plants that need the cooler temps out of the greenhouse and onto a windowsill or something? Schizandra doesn't need any special conditions other than being placed in a sealed container with high humidity and low light. What sort of time cycle do you have the lights/humidifiers/ac/fans (that's a huge amount of wattage, by the way) running on? I honestly think you can figure something much simpler out if you just mull over it for a while.

As for the cost of a 15,000 btu versus a 5,000 btu a/c, you're going to have to figure out a few things:

How many kilowatts does each unit use? (amps x volts = watts) and (watts/1000 = kilowatts)
How many hours per day will you use the unit? (hours per day x kW = kWh)
How much does your electricity bill say you pay per kWh ($.109/kWH or thereabouts..)? Multiply that by the daily power usage of the unit above (kWh) and you have how much your unit costs to run per day. Multiply that by 30 to see how it reflects upon your bill.

Just keep in mind that you should be able to run a 15,000 btu a/c less than a 5,000 btu a/c (since it pulls the warm air out quicker), so the costs shouldn't be drastically different..

I'd suggest doing that for every appliance you're running in the greenhouse, in order to weigh the benefits each brings to your plants versus how much it's costing you per month.


Anyway, good luck.

 

[MICKEY]

or just move to Oregon

 

[Tony C]

Can you use ventilation to help with cooling? Maybe run some ducting to the closest window and use fans to bring in cool air from outside.

 

[Roman Tyrant]

I'll let the experts give you advice on this problem but I want to say good luck to you and hope you can find a solution. I really enjoy the pictures you've posted.

 

[mikefallen13]

Man that sucks! I really hope you can figure something out.

 

[mass]

or just move to Oregon

pssh.. I wish.

First of all, why not remove all the plants that need the cooler temps out of the greenhouse and onto a windowsill or something? Schizandra doesn't need any special conditions other than..

Thought about that, but there's no temp drops from day to night, 40% humidity, and our S. facing windows are facing a row of tall trees. So not a whole lot of light..
And I dunno about other people's schizzys, but mine are allergic to temps over 74*F. Deathly allergic..

just making a 12 hour shift. everything remains on and off for the same number of hours. Potentially ends up more light because I am certain they will get some ambient light in the day. Just need to see if you guys have an "off peak demand" time and if that time they get you better electricity rates. that will be the home run. I think Joseph Clemens did something like this in Arizona.

This is actually a really good idea. Never even crossed my mind.
They are on a 14 hour "on" light cycle now. But shouldn't bother them too much with a quick switch over to 12 on at night.

Can you use ventilation to help with cooling? Maybe run some ducting to the closest window and use fans to bring in cool air from outside.

Just having the window open in the den works to cool the entire GH, in the winter.
The problem with this time of year is: It's pretty hot outside (90*s), so it's heating up the room where the greenhouse is.

 

[lance]

Now I know this may sound nuts, but why not get a solar panel for your most power demanding plant device? It may cost bait in the beginning, but it would pay off in the long run. First off, I would recommend what mato said to do and locate your most power-hungry device. It may not be the cooling thats affecting the electric bill but it may be the lights . . .etc. Also, do you have any garages or rooms mostly composed of cement? I find that having my highlanders in the garage makes a big difference in the temps due to the cold cement. (its 72 degrees in there and 98 outside now) Hope this helps!

 

[mass]

Now I know this may sound nuts, but..

I'm poor folk, hence the energy crisis.
No garage, otherwise I would've done that long ago.

Someone asked why having to remove the AC would be such a big ordeal to me.
Like Lance said, could be the lights. If the lights are too much to run, then this whole CP addiction has to come to an end.
The AC could just be the tip of the ice burg. May be that entire room all together.
At any rate, I have to make some serious changes. And I fear change, especially when I'm perfectly happy.

 

[kulamauiman]

the four T5 lighting systems with 4 bulbs are the bulk of my electricity bill. We don't have AC, do have a chest freezer (washer , drier, and electric water heater) But not using the drier and hanging clothes outside and all didn't change anything.... Bill is about the same and electricity prices per KW hour are very high here in Hawaii.

 

[dueoka]

I'd suggest doing that for every appliance you're running in the greenhouse, in order to weigh the benefits each brings to your plants versus how much it's costing you per month.

I agree. I think kula's idea of using the lights at night (cooler and cheaper) is a good first step. Then once everything's settled down, maybe consider energy efficiency with your different appliances. Maybe consolidating multiple appliances could help; a good swamp cooler could replace the AC and the humidifiers. Or maybe switching your lights to LED. And as a last resort moving them outside would be so much better than giving them up! :-(

 

[mass]

I totally agree.. But I'm saving that last resort until dead last. The outdoors scares me. Especially with our extreme Michigan weather.

 

[DJ57]

 

[Dexenthes]

Outside. It's easier to heat something than it is to cool it and you're looking at free lighting during the half the year. In the winter months you can supplement with artificial lighting and/or move your most valuable and demanding plants inside for the winter where cooling becomes free also.

 

[Kyle]

Granted, my GH is in the basement, which I know you don't have, but it's somewhat similar regardless. It's getting over 100 here already and I've yet to plug in the portable AC unit. I've done what Mach recommended, running things at night, but for different reasons. The main issue with doing that is that, yes, you get to have cooler temps during the day because ambient temps are lower; but you lose your nightly temp drops, which I suspect many of your plants would be awful pissed off about. Me too, so here's how it works. The house's central AC (this is irrelevant to you if you don't have that...) runs only during the day, obviously, and I have a duct that leads to the GH just sort of crammed into the central AC's duct. So, during the day when the lights are OFF in the GH, but temps are HIGH in the house, the AC kicks on and blows into the GH, taking it down to around 65 at night. Beautiful. During the NIGHT, when the lights are ON, the basement has had all day to cool off from the central AC, and thus ambient temps are lower. Hygrotherm turns a fan on at 80° that pulls air from the basement into the GH. So, uhhh... jeez, that kinda gets confusing.

REAL day (GH night) = 65°
REAL night (GH day) = 80°

And that works because the house's central AC turns on during the day, when the lights in the GH are off, thus really cooling the GH down.

But again, that might all be irrelevant to you if you don't have/use central AC... in which case, the single biggest thing I can recommend you do is to relocate the ballasts in your light fixtures (biggest source of heat), to somewhere outside of the GH and preferably with a fan that sucks the air off the ballasts and pushes it out a window (so you aren't just heating your house during the day). I know you're not real big on DIY stuff, and probably especially electrical work, and I understand that... but I guess it might come down to just how bad you want to keep your plants healthy while lowering your electric bill. Frankly, if you don't have central AC or at least naturally cool ambient temps to help you out, this is the only option I see. >.>

EDIT: Aside from moving things outside, obviously, but you said you're afraid of that... as would I be with Colorado's ridiculously extreme and notoriously unpredictable weather.

 

[boxofrain]

Hey Mass, sorry to hear of this. I feel for ya though, as I am in the same boat....my bills are closer to $400.00 this time of year.
As mentioned "night lights" are very popular with OGF'rs. Call your power company and ask if they offer reduced rates at night, also ask if they offer discounts for the disabled. Some companies do. If so, this would help at all hours of the day/night.