• Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    Officers allegedly raided the diagnostic center, located in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, thinking it was a front for an illegal cannabis cultivation facility, pointing to higher-than-usual energy use

    Man, it’s almost like they were running some kind of large piece of medical equipment in there that uses a lot of electricity.

    • Belly_Beanis [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      You’d think they would just like…send a guy down there in plainclothes to look around or something before conducting a massive raid.

      • Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        Or just like… have a squad car drive past it?

        “Hey uh Chief, I checked out that location that got pinged cuz of their energy bill.”

        “WE HAVE THE SWAT TEAM READY!!!”

        “No, Chief, it’s a radiology clinic, they got like, X-Rays and shit.”

        “WE’RE GONNNA ROLL OUT!”

        “Chief, I’m pretty sure there isn’t a gro…”

        “LOCK AND LOAD!!!”

      • Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        I think your municipal electricity bill is a matter of public record.

        High electricity bills are a potential sign someone is running a growhouse (that and they can to thermal readings of the house). Idk how exactly it works but if a building has usually high energy usage for it’s zoned purpose it can potentially lead to police investigation.

            • anonochronomus [comrade/them, she/her]@hexbear.net
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              2 months ago

              I would have to do some math over it, new top of the line solar modules can have an output of like 600ish watts. The real PITA would be battery storage and maintaining power during extended periods of low insolation. Regardless, a home grow for personal consumption is already pretty much undetectable even without the solar panels. A good LED grow light will be like in the low hundreds of watts, so it’s like having a few extra incandescent bulbs turned on. Negligible power draw.

              • Hexboare [they/them]@hexbear.net
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                2 months ago

                The other thing is that the 500 watt LED light will eventually end up as heat, so if you’re growing indoors it’ll just look like heating usage.

          • ShimmeringKoi [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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            2 months ago

            “Why no, I had no idea that the fenced-in vacant lot next door had become a Pandora of kush plants. I wonder what clever and handsome individual put them there.”

    • Hexamerous [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      “See that guy in the MRI machine, drug dealer.”

      “That elderly lady crying while looking at her scans, drug kingpin.”

      “The doctor over there, hit man.”

      “That dog over there, head of the growing operation.”