From what I understand the higher initial voltage spike used to ignite an old style magnetic HID ballast has it's own unique electronic signature which can be detected & clearly viewed by the power company and that capability is in place already on most equipment at the power pole level. (that little box on the main pole) They use this to diagnose various issues via computer like theft of service, damage to lines & transformers, power leaks, etc and it can clearly show spikes in the usage from that pole. There is a unique voltage spike signature for just about everything that requires more current than it normally uses at start-up, much like a electric fingerprint. There was a big thread about this on OG way back but suffice to say digital ballasts are way way way safer and they do not have any spike, they just "softly" increases your overall amperage usage without the tell-tale old HID ballast spike signature. If you live in a house with other lights on, hot water heater, dishwasher, tv, stove, microwave, refrigerator going, etc you already have ongoing varied levels of power consumption so just 600 or even 2000 watts is not a very big increase overall as long as there is not that specific HID ballast spike. As far as usage increases for 12 hours a day go there is not much you can really do about that pattern except maybe run the lights at night so that it could be assumed that power increase is possibly outside lights running during the dark, etc. Also other electrical consumption will be lower at night because almost everything is off other than the basics. Also it is cooler at night so your A/C will be running less which translates into less electrical use so you balance it out the best you can to not raise any flags.

Remember, just because you were running lots of HID light still would not necessarily mean you were doing anything wrong! You could have a perfectly legal greenhouse growing flowers & vegetables for all they know..you could have several outside security lights, a large reptile cage, many possible common things people use HID for...the whole electrical consumption issue is just a very small piece of the pie and you are way more likely to get in trouble for many other reasons than from your electric bill.

The general rule from what I have heard is to not exceed around 2000 watts extra in a private dwelling and you should have no worries mon. :rastasmoke:
FreeDaHerb Reviewed by FreeDaHerb on . Extremely Paranoid...Please Help!!! I am new to posting on the board though I have read in the shadows for some time now. I only recently purchased my first seeds from a board sponsor and some equipment over the net. My room is well hidden and known by no one. I do live fairly close to a school it is over 1000 feet but not by much. I made the mistake of ordering the seeds and equipment to the same addy that I live and will grow at and I know now that this may have been a huge mistake however I only intend to grow 2 plants and Rating: 5