Facilities & real estate
How much power does a cannabis grow facility need?
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The answer
Plan for 20–40+ watts per square foot of canopy for lighting alone — a 20,000 SF Class C indoor grow typically needs 800A to 1200A of three-phase service once HVAC and dehumidification are added. Lighting technology and canopy density drive the range. Build a bottom-up load schedule from nameplate ratings; never size off a listing sheet.
Range reflects C3's Michigan transaction experience, not a published dataset.
Load is manufacturing load, not warehouse load
Lighting, HVAC, dehumidification, pumps, compressors, automation and process equipment all stack. A cultivation load behaves like a manufacturing load with a photoperiod, and lights-on transitions create demand spikes that set the peak the service actually has to carry — that peak, not average draw, sizes the service and drives the demand charge.
Verify capacity with the utility, not the seller
Confirm existing service amperage, voltage and phase at the equipment, then get a utility letter on available feeder capacity and the upgrade path before writing an LOI. Transformer and switchgear lead times often run as long as the entire construction schedule, so they belong on the critical path from day one.
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