Lights on!

[Peppersmr]

I'm curious as to what lights you use and why? I'm debating between CFL's, LED's, or HPS and have done quite a bit of reading so I get all of the heat/electricity usage/yields increase etc. If someone proposed to you that you could get any setup and all were about the same price, which would you choose and why?

[9fingerleafs]

Hps. Fluorescent will never produce enough to compare and led is the best option only when spending 1000watts on the electric bill is a big problem

[Peppersmr]

I highly doubt I'd go as high as 1000 watts with led...I'm thinking more along the lines of 600 max...300 possibly. That wouldn't be too bad on the bill would it?

[abadtrip]

Well a 300w led is 156w draw so if u grow autos like me and have it on all the time on a 9 week auto my that's about 235.872 kWh used x your energy cost mine is 14c a kw so 34 bucks to run that light for 9 weeks

[DrPhoton]

This is a hot topic of late, as a result i am working on a article that addresses the related questions. I have worked out the structure of the article but will take some time as it now requires adding, subtracting and moving of information between my current articles.

Have a look here and here for my recent posts on the subject.

[abadtrip]

Can't wait for that 1 I am extremely intrested in light

[gbauto]

I feel it really comes down to heat management. It takes photons of light to grow decent meds and HPS will make a bunch for each watt of electricity but they also make a bunch of waste heat that must be removed(or used in the grow space). If that isn't a concern then HPS is the best choice. CFL's are the least efficient of the group and are usually relegated to entry-level growers that want to see what growing is about. Led's are the wild west right now-lots of advances in technology and prices are dropping quickly. But it definitely pays to research what is out there-lots of snake oil salesman promising the moon from a fixture that may grow a single plant. I use led's because I do have restrictions on room temps so efficiency is important to me.

[Peppersmr]

Well for me as it currently stands, the only heat management I have is a single fan and open exhaust ports on my grow tent. Since HPS does produce more heat and I'm in no position to purchase am exhaust fan etc. it seems led might be my better choice.