Commercial Cannabis Cultivators are Moving Outdoors

Imagine if your electric bill was $30,000-50,00 dollars a month. Climate control systems and lights run the electric bill up to that cost every month at one growers 2500-foot warehouse—and he only uses ½ – ¾ of the lights.

Growers are using cost conservative lights to save on their production expenses. Some growers are abandoning expensive indoor setups and going solar powered to save money. Commercial growers are buying greenhouses and reaping the benefits of growing outdoors.

Companies reduce their carbon footprint and save tons of money that would otherwise go toward utilities when they grow outdoors. It is estimated that Indoor grows require at least 6 billion dollars worth of energy a year. Outdoor grows require far less energy to grow the same amount if not more plants than a warehouse would grow.

Outdoor grows are not as expensive as indoor grows either. This means that the production cost per gram is lower if the cannabis is grown outdoors. Outdoor Growers should be able to sell their product for cheaper due to lower production costs. Consumers should see a drop in the price of cannabis in the future. With lower costs we can expect an increase in sales.

It has been two years since recreational cannabis has legally been for sale in Colorado and the price has never dropped. High prices are due to taxes and regulations imposed on the industry. Some consider the prices so high that they continue to buy their cannabis off of the black market, where the price of cannabis is only about one third the cost of what a dispensary charges.

However, cheaper prices in dispensaries may be able to convert black market buyers into dispensary customers. To see that happen we need to see more growers take their operation outdoors. Commercial cultivators will reap the benefits of growing outdoors— plus they will save thousands of dollars on their electric bill every month.