@jeeje, never tested and im not anykind of auto professional but i would say yes it can shorten growth time. What it cost for plant is different story. i have grow autos at 24h because of heat. Too cold otherways half of the year. 20/4 is good. 16/8 pretty pointless cause you can 12/12, grow photos and save in electricity.
@Hattiwatti, those are solid times yeah! how many hours did you keep your lights on? i hear if you do like all the way 24 (for autos only) on it cuts of like a whole week of your growth