A Practical Guide to Energy Efficiency in Agriculture

Farming requires a lot of energy—and not just the human kind. Farms need to move air and water, heat and cool various spaces, and get their products to market. All of that requires energy, and there are many opportunities to strategically improve energy efficiency to lower monthly costs and maintenance headaches. 

We’ve gathered our top tips for four types of agricultural businesses: dairy farms, egg producers, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and maple sugaring operations. 

Don’t see your type of farm here? Give us a call to talk about your energy efficiency opportunities. 
 

Dairy farms

Dairy farms rely on pumps, refrigeration, lighting, and ventilation all day long. One of the biggest savings opportunities is to simply slow down your motors when you don’t need full power. 

Vacuum pumps for milking

Milking requires a lot less suction than cleaning the system afterward. This means you can slow down the motor on your vacuum pump while milking. The easiest way to do that is to install a variable frequency drive (VFD). You’ll use less energy, and as a nice bonus, your motor will also be quieter. 

Transfer pumps

After the cows have done their part, milk is pumped from the receiving tank to the storage tank. Adding a plate cooler (also called a heat exchanger) between the tanks helps pre-cool the milk on its way to the storage tank. Plate coolers use water instead of electricity, making them a low- or no-cost addition to your system. By pre-cooling your milk, you reduce the load on the chiller for your storage tank.  There’s another bonus: The byproduct of the plate cooler is warm water, which can be used for sanitation or other purposes around the barn.

One important consideration, however, is that installing a plate cooler adds resistance to the system. So, the milk pump must be able to overcome the additional pressure drop.

Another way to use less energy is to install a VFD on your transfer pump. This is actually a win-win: Not only will your pump use less energy, but moving the milk more slowly through the plate cooler will remove even more heat, further reducing the load on your chiller at the storage tank.

Storage tank refrigeration

Most farms rely on refrigeration, but for dairy farms, it’s especially critical. Regular maintenance helps identify any issues before they become costly repairs. When it’s time for a new refrigeration system, look for high-efficiency options. Check out our refrigeration deep-dive to learn more.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to start saving energy in your barn. LEDs use significantly less electricity and also last longer than traditional bulbs. Consider installing daylight sensors to dim or turn off the lights when there’s enough natural light coming in the sides of the barn. 

Ventilation 

Keeping your cows comfortable is critical for their health. By adding a VFD to your ventilation fans, the fans will slow down as the temperature drops and speed up when it gets hot. You’ll use less electricity while still providing your herd with fresh air.

Egg production

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Healthy chickens produce higher-quality eggs, and optimizing the barn environment for efficiency can also improve your hens’ wellbeing. Here are some ways to help your hens thrive while using less energy. 

Lighting

Modern LED poultry lighting can be tuned to specific color temperatures and brightness levels. This helps support bird health and egg production while using much less energy than traditional lighting. LEDs also last longer, reducing maintenance time.

Ventilation

As with dairy farms, adequate ventilation is crucial to the health of your animals. Adding a VFD to the fans automatically adjusts airflow based on ambient temperature, keeping your animals comfortable while using less electricity. 

Equipment controls

If your egg operation uses conveyors or other equipment, you might benefit from adding controls. Controls can slow down or shut off equipment when it’s not in use. The bonus: Your equipment will last longer if it’s not running 24/7. 

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)

CEA operations like greenhouses, indoor farms, and cannabis operations are all about—you guessed it—control. That makes them ripe for efficiency upgrades because there are very clear levers to pull. Here are some of our top recommendations.

Lighting

In a CEA, lighting is everything. Plants in different stages of life need different wavelengths and intensities of lighting. LEDs provide that needed control while using less electricity. Daylighting controls can be used for greenhouses where the plants are exposed to sunlight.  

Dehumidification

Managing humidity is critical in a greenhouse. You probably have a dehumidifier built into your heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system. Every dehumidifier has an Integrated Energy Factor (IEF), which measures how efficiently it removes moisture from the air. Higher ratings mean more water is pulled from the air per unit of energy. It’s usually not cost-effective to replace a dehumidifier before the end of its usable life, but when it comes time to replace it, look for a high-efficiency model. 

Maple sugaring

The only thing sweeter than fresh maple syrup is fresh maple syrup that didn’t cost you a fortune to produce. With such a short and intense season, every bit of energy savings counts. 

Vacuum pumps

Vacuum pumps are used to increase sap collection, but they don’t need to run at full speed all the time. Adding a VFD allows your pump speed to match actual conditions, reducing energy use and wear on your equipment. 

Reverse Osmosis (RO)

As with your vacuum pump, your RO doesn’t always need to run at full speed. Consider adding a VFD to match the speed of boiling.

Pre-heating

The more you pre-heat your sap before it enters the evaporator, the less fuel will be required to turn it into syrup. Your evaporator likely has a warming pan heated by steam from your operation. If it doesn’t, you might be able to add a heat exchanger. 

Get started

If you’re ready to start saving energy on your farm, or you have more questions about how these tips apply to your operation, give us a call at 877-889-3777 or email us at [email protected]. Our energy experts can help identify the most impactful efficiency upgrades for your specific business needs.