saving energy

[spectrum]

i want to run 3X 250 watts say if i have a 1000 watt inverter and have a battery big enough say a (train battery) and a battery charger would that work because i would only be running the lights for like 4 hours a day. that would give me 20 hours of recharge time on the battery.:greenguy:

[hypertech]

You may not be able to make enough power to get the bulbs to fire. A lot of times those are rated at peak power and not continuous supply.

Also, don't forget that your 3 250 watt bulbs consume more power than 750W because of the ballasts.

There are also losses in the power conversion and recharging that would make your net power usage actually higher than if you didn't have your batteries.

Add to that the costs of batteries that big and replacing them due to the constant cycling and you are going to be spending some money.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

[spectrum]

tring not to a 400 dollar light bill I can get the batteries pretty easly

[hypertech]

Unless you throw them away when drained and get new ones, you still have to replenish the energy you took out of the batteries to use it again.

Each conversion through the inverter increases your losses. A system like that will not save you anything - it will actually increase your bills.

The only way to decrease your energy bills is to reduce your total energy usage. Use more efficient bulbs/ballasts, run the lights for a shorter duration, etc.

Edit: Do you get charged a different rate depending on the hours of usage? I don't, if you do, then there is a possibility there could be a cost savings there, but I really doubt it will make up for the overall costs of a battery driven system.

[Fish'InMN]

http://www.xantrex.com/support/howlong.asp

Assuming your ballasts actually use 250W, they don't, then you'll get 1.33 hours of operation out of a 200Ah battery, which costs upwards of $300 itself.

Have you actually thought this through? You will save energy when the halides are running, but recharging the battery will actually cost MORE than just running the halides without the battery. Why? Inefficiency in the inverter and charger.

[spectrum]

i was just wondering is all

[steve1600cc]

Nice back up System if your Power goes out I suppose...