General lighting load for cannabis grow facility

[wainscott]

What is the General lighting load for cannabis grow facility? I know the actual grow lights would be continuous load but how many watts per sq. ft for general lighting load by occupancy?

 

[jusme123]

220.12

 

[electrofelon]

What is the General lighting load for cannabis grow facility? I know the actual grow lights would be continuous load but how many watts per sq. ft for general lighting load by occupancy?

You won't find anything specific in the NEC. I have found a typical set up using 1000W HPS to be about 30 watts per square foot.

 

[rnatalie]

Maintaining Optimal Lighting for Cannabis Plants

When growing cannabis, lighting is essential. Know how to create the ideal lighting environment for your plants to maximize your grow.

www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com

 

[Joe.B]

You won't find anything specific in the NEC. I have found a typical set up using 1000W HPS to be about 30 watts per square foot.

30 watts per sq ft would be the low end of the ideal lighting and some would consider that too low, at least for flowering. For the "veg." cycle that's pretty ideal. Most growers use a 1000W light for a 4'X4' space. Some hood shapes (often wing shaped) are designed to cover a 4'X6' area, but growers will often reduce that to 3'X6'. Alternative lighting has shown to be successful for the veg stage, but so far nothing has shown to be consistently better than HPS lights. Some growers have had success with combining lighting sources, HPS to provide intensity during peak hours, LED/florescent for photo period control to save energy. For example a grower might use LED's to establish the 12 hour light cycle and use HPS (often on light movers) for 6-8 hours of that cycle to get the desired density/quality.

 

[electrofelon]

30 watts per sq ft would be the low end of the ideal lighting and some would consider that too low, at least for flowering. For the "veg." cycle that's pretty ideal. Most growers use a 1000W light for a 4'X4' space. Some hood shapes (often wing shaped) are designed to cover a 4'X6' area, but growers will often reduce that to 3'X6'. Alternative lighting has shown to be successful for the veg stage, but so far nothing has shown to be consistently better than HPS lights. Some growers have had success with combining lighting sources, HPS to provide intensity during peak hours, LED/florescent for photo period control to save energy. For example a grower might use LED's to establish the 12 hour light cycle and use HPS (often on light movers) for 6-8 hours of that cycle to get the desired density/quality.

That 30 watts per SQ foot figure was for total room area, not canopy area.