Energy Saving Fact Sheet Agriculture & Horticulture

Energy Saving Fact Sheet Agriculture & Horticulture

It s easier than you think to grow savings! Farming today is all about quality, yields and returns, and nothing eats into your profits like energy use. This practical Guide will help you identify where you can save money on energy, often at very low cost. You never know, it could make all the difference to your farm. Energy wasting hot spots Want to know how to save energy around your farm? The chart opposite gives a good idea of where your energy probably goes and where you can cut costs. The key areas are likely to be heating, lighting, ventilation and air-conditioning. For many more helpful hints, simply call the Carbon Trust Energy Helpline on 0800 58 57 94. An example energy spend breakdown for a typical agricultural business DERV Fact! Agriculture and horticulture businesses can often reduce energy costs by 20% equal to a 5% increase in sales. This is a great way to demonstrate your green credentials to buyers as well as funding other improvements around the farm. Electricity Gas Energy Saving Fact Sheet Agriculture and Horticulture Building fabric Pay attention to your windows, doors, walls and roof before you upgrade your heating system you might actually need less heating! Close gaps, big or small. Fit automatic closers or strip curtains to large external doors to keep the heat in. Check the building carefully for draughts and damp. If you can get a 1p coin between a window or door and its frame, fit draught strips. Make a note of any holes or damage and start repairs. Wrap up warm. Check that insulation is in good condition and measures at least 200mm deep in roof spaces and 75mm elsewhere. Insulate hot internal pipes to 25mm and external pipes to 50mm using weatherproof insulation and don t forget valves and flanges. Heating Heating can have the greatest impact on farm energy costs but it is also where you can make some of the biggest savings. Get up to speed. Ensure your heating system quickly reaches and maintains the right temperature for your process by adjusting time and temperature controls. You can also install control interlocks with separate thermostats for heating and ventilation. These prevent heating systems switching on when ventilation fans run above their minimum setting. Recycle and recirculate. Taller farm buildings have warmer air at ceiling height. Install recirculation or destratification fans to redirect the warm air to where it is needed. Service boilers regularly. Ask for information on flue gas composition before and after the service there should be more carbon dioxide and a lower temperature afterwards.

Dairy, pigs and poultry Dairy production Cooling milk and heating water probably account for two-thirds of energy used on your farm. You could halve cooling costs by pre-cooling milk using a water to milk plate cooler and you can make further savings by reusing the water elsewhere. Refrigeration. Ensure that refrigerators are full but not overloaded and keep them away from heat sources this helps reduce energy consumption. Defrost them regularly and check that condensing coils are free from obstructions and dust. Don t forget to service cooling systems on a regular basis. Pigs and Poultry production For pigs and poultry, the internal environment has an effect on feed and mortality rates. Getting it right can lead to significant improvements. Re-use warm air! Simply install ceiling recirculation fans the temperature at the ceiling can be 10ºC higher than on the floor. Don t overdo it. Ventilation will be a significant energy user use controls to optimise ventilation rates or winter heating costs will increase dramatically. Lighting Lighting can account for 20% of your energy use, but as electricity is relatively expensive, this could represent over 50% of your total energy costs. So, the less you use, the more you save. Replace your light bulbs. Replace any conventional bulbs that are switched on for more than a few minutes at a time with compact fluorescent light bulbs. These screw into the same energy saving fittings, use 80% less energy and last 8 times longer. Use more efficient tubes. When fluorescent tubes become dim, have burnt ends or fail altogether, replace them with tri-phosphor coated tubes. You will find that these produce a better quality light. If you have any 38mm (1.5 inch) fluorescent tubes that flicker when switched on, put slimmer 26mm tubes in the same fittings. Ventilation and air conditioning This is where 25-30% of your energy probably goes, yet you could save up to 20% of these costs for next to nothing. Go natural. Use free outside air for cooling whenever you can. Minimise ventilation when heating is on so that less warm air is lost. Clean up. Include all ducts and fans in your thorough end of batch clean and make sure you replace filters. Dirty ducts and fans can increase running costs by 60% that s 30p per bird each year for layers or 28p per pig you ll be saving. Slow down. Fans often don t need to operate at full speed all of the time. Fitting variable-speed drives can be very cost-effective. Ensure that your heating and air-conditioning systems cannot operate at the same time and keep the temperature settings as far apart as possible.

Greenhouses Around 90% of energy used in greenhouses goes on heating but there are two easy ways to save energy: First, exploit free solar heating and increase the amount of light entering your greenhouse by simply cleaning the glass regularly. Then cut heating costs by 25% by improving air-tightness. Here s how: Check that ventilators close properly. Replace broken or slipped glass. Seal heating pipes and add brush seals around doors and ventilators. Fit automatic door closers. Use windbreaks to protect against high winds. You can also install thermal screens with pelmets which can pay back in less than three years. Even better, some screens attract Enhanced Capital Allowances. Call the Helpline for further details. Helpline 0800 58 57 94 www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/energy Crop-drying Effective heating is vital to protect the quality and value of your crop. Here s how to make it more efficient: Regular maintenance. It s important to check your dryer fans for damage and to clean the blades regularly. Ensure that air inlets, exhaust vents and ducts are clear. Load your stores evenly to improve airflow and promote consistent drying. Eliminate guesswork. Use humidity sensors to control your heaters and dehumidifiers. You will achieve the correct humidity without constant checking and save energy in the process. Don t delay. It makes sense to dry for longer periods early in the season when the equipment operates more efficiently and doesn t have to work so hard to combat humidity.

Take action! Start saving energy today Drive forward energy savings with these simple steps: 1. Find out how much you are spending on energy. This will give you a base figure to monitor the success of any cost-cutting activity. 2. Work out how energy is used. Take at least monthly meter readings. Divide this by the amount of produce (say, kwh per pig) and you will be able to identify large variations in energy consumption a vital early warning. Where the majority of energy use is associated with heating, you will need to normalise consumption data for weather conditions first. Further information can be found in publications on Degree Days available from the Energy Helpline. 3. Compile an energy checklist. Walk round your farm to see where energy is used. Talk to your staff; they understand equipment best and can point out potential improvements. 4. Raise awareness. Make sure your employees know how to implement simple energy saving measures. We ve got plenty of posters and stickers to help. 5. Start simple. Switch off unnecessary equipment and lighting, repair damage to walls, windows and roofs and keep looking for other ways that energy is wasted on your farm. Call our Helpline today for your FREE Energy Awareness Pack. Helpline 0800 58 57 94 www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/energy More ways to save There are other simple methods to cut energy use: Lighting. Introduce a maintenance and replacement policy which includes regular cleaning of lighting equipment and planned replacement of lamps. Heating controls. Inaccurate temperature controls lead to higher heating costs. A 1ºC error can increase heating costs by up to 8%. Clean measuring boxes and sensors regularly and check annually against a reference thermometer. Service and maintain vehicles. This will help to reduce wear, increase life and save fuel. Keep a note of fuel use to establish consumption patterns. Check tyre pressures, steering alignment and lubricant levels regularly. Ensure employees know how to save money with good driving techniques such as smooth acceleration and braking. Insulation. Insulate hot-water tanks to minimise heat loss and try to heat water using gas or oil. If you have an electric system, heat water overnight when electricity is cheaper. Pressure washing. Reduce washing times by 20% through pre-soaking and also save on labour and energy.

The Carbon Trust helps businesses and public sector organisations cut their energy costs to combat climate change through the provision of free, professional advice and assistance. Want to find out more? There are other useful energy-saving guides available: GPG323 ECG089 ECG091 Energy saving guide for agriculture and horticulture Energy use in pig farming Energy benchmarks and saving measures for protected greenhouse horticulture in the UK You can obtain copies of these by visiting www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/energy or by contacting our Energy Helpline on 0800 58 57 94. We have many more tips that will help you save energy and money. Give our Helpline a call today. Helpline 0800 58 57 94 www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/energy The Carbon Trust is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland. Whilst we have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained within this leaflet is correct, we give no warranty and make no representation as to its accuracy and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions and neither does the Government. The Carbon Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales Number 4190230. Registered at: 8th Floor, 3 Clement s Inn, London WC2A 2AZ. Queen s Printer and Controller of HMSO, April 2005 Ref: GIL139