On Fri, 18 May 2007 01:40:41 -0500, sherwindu wrote:
very costly. For about one month, I had two double flourecent shop lights and
about
six small heating pads going to germinate my seeds. My electric bill almost
doubled.

Guesstimation:
Lights: 20 W x 4 bulbs x 12 hr/d x 30 d = 28.8 KW-hr (new 4 ft tubes
actually use 32W)

Heating pads: 50W x 6 x 24 hr/d x 30 d = 216 KW-hr

245 KW-hr x $0.0996/KW-hr = $24.40

(the 9.96 cents per KW/hr is from the residential average rate in Illinois
in Feb 2007, per
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html )

If that $25 doubled your power bill, I'd love to have your bill.

Or you could start your seedlings inside and then put them in a cold frame.
You don't need lights till your seedlings are up; you don't need much heat
once they're up for most species.