Lights, Cannabis, Action!

You can now find a cannabis lighting section at any home hardware store along with garden centres carrying cannabis growing equipment.

As a property manager, do you know how many of your residents are cultivating cannabis plants? Maybe your building has implemented by-laws or amendments to restrict the smoking and growing of cannabis. Even with precautions in place, there is no guarantee that residents will not be taking advantage of their legal right to grow up to four plants. Keeping plants a secret is a lot easier than keeping a cat or dog secret in a multi-residential building.

The effects of residents growing any type of plant excessively will be seen first on the electricity and water bills.

Whether it is 20 tomato plants or 4 cannabis plants, extra water and light are needed to keep them thriving. In Canada especially, the long winters and short daylight hours call for extra attention to residents’ beloved greenery. Furthermore, plants like warmth. Humans like warmth too, but plants need a temperate climate to flourish.

Utility usage goes up in the winter months overall, but with additional lights, water and warmth being used for cannabis and other types of indoor gardening, expenses can rise quickly. In multi-residential buildings, utilities need to be suite metered in order for fair payment of utility usage. Avoid undue stress on property management and the condo board about balancing the budget. Utility usage is typically an unpredictable cost for many buildings and the cost of electricity and water keeps on rising – especially in Ontario.

Residents should inform their landlord or property manager if they are growing medical marijuana.

Many people make their own wine or beer at home too, but these individuals do not seem to face the same questions or scrutiny as cannabis users and growers.

Many hobbyist activities like gardening, making beer and even baking can put a strain on utility usage. There is nothing wrong with having a healthy hobby, but each person should be responsible for paying for their own utility usage in relation to that hobby.

One year after the legalization of cannabis, edibles were made legal too.

If you Google search ‘How to make your own weed edibles’ you will find many videos instructing you how to create cannabis delicacies in your own kitchen. You can find gummy bear kits and cannabutter instructions everywhere. You can be certain that individuals who did not like to cook before, will be trying their hand out at making their own cannabis-infused treats. This will be especially true if your building has restrictions in place for smoking in suites or on balconies.

No matter which angle you look at the cannabis story from, it simply cannot be avoided. The only way to ensure residents are responsible for the utility usage they use, is by ensuring they are informed about their usage and billed for their usage. Priority Submetering Solutions is an all-inclusive company. Priority will custom create a suite metering plan that is in tune with what the residents, management and building needs. From meter installation to monthly billing, a dedicated Account Manager will guide you through your suite metering process. In the end, everyone will be chilled out and most importantly, there will be no unpredictable and uncontrollable utility budget headaches.