Pollution Prevention / Energy Efficiency

To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.124 or greater is installed.

Please login or register to make a comment!

Submits this Maryland Farm Energy Audit Report To: Mr. Ben Growen Poultry Paradise Farm Anytown , MD Funded by: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 3 Conservation Security Program Maryland Energy Administration and the Eastern Shore Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. December 8, 2006 Property of EnSave, Inc.

December 8, 2006 Mr. Ben Growen Poultry Paradise Farm Anytown , MD Dear Mr. Growen: Enclosed is your Maryland Farm Energy Audit Report conducted by EnSave, Inc.

You signed up to have this energy audit done as part of your USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Security Program (CSP) contract. The report includes lighting, ventilation and heating energy saving recommendations specific to your agricultural operation. Energy savings estimates are based upon information gathered at the site visit and therefore are as accurate as possible.

However, changes in equipment operation, such as an increase in operating hours may affect actual savings. This report also identifies productivity improvements you could undertake along with estimates of the financial benefits these would provide. Please contact me at (800) 732-1399 for questions regarding this report.

Sincerely, President EnSave, Inc. 65 Millet Street, Suite 105 Richmond, VT 05477 Phone: 802.434.3792 ext. 23 Toll Free: 800.732.1399 Fax: 802.434.7011 e-mail: stevef@ensave.com Web Site: ... more. less.

http://www.ensave.com/ 65 Millet Street, Suite 105 " Richmond, Vermont 05477 " Phone 800.732.1399 " Fax 802.434.7011 " www.ensave.com Property of EnSave, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................1 I NTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 S IGNIFICANT F INDINGS ...........................................................................................1 E NERGY E FFICIENT E QUIPMENT & P RODUCTIVITY I MPROVEMENTS .......................2 CURRENT STATUS...............................................................................................3 C URRENT F ARM O PERATION ...................................................................................3 C URRENT VS . P ROPOSED E LECTRIC U SE .................................................................4 RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................................................5 L IGHTING E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS ...........................................................5 H EATING E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................6 A DDITIONAL P ROPANE H EATING R EDUCTION O PPORTUNITIES ...............................7 V ENTILATION E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................8 V ENTILATION F AN S ELECTION ................................................................................9 M ISCELLANEOUS E LECTRICAL E QUIPMENT E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS .....10 PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS .............................................................................11 I NSULATE S IDE W ALLS .........................................................................................11 I NSULATE B ROOD C URTAIN ..................................................................................11 S EAL A IR L EAKS ...................................................................................................11 C IRCULATION F ANS ..............................................................................................12 R ADIANT T UBE H EATERS ......................................................................................12 A DDITIONAL V ENTILATION ...................................................................................12 E LECTRONIC C ONTROLS ........................................................................................12 RESOURCES.........................................................................................................13 E NERGY E FFICIENCY .............................................................................................13 I NTERNET R ESOURCES ..........................................................................................14 R ENEWABLE E NERGY ............................................................................................14 Property of EnSave, Inc. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 - Twelve Month Electricity Usage ...........................................................3 Figure 2 - Electricity Use Breakdown ....................................................................4 Figure 3 - Comparison of Current and Proposed Electricity Use .......................4 Figure 4 - Lighting Electricity Use .........................................................................5 LIST OF TABLES Table 1- Summary of Energy Efficiency and Productivity Improvements .......2 Table 2 - Lighting System Recommended Energy Saving Equipment ...............6 Table 3 - Fan Inventory ...........................................................................................8 Table 4 - Minimum Tunnel Ventilation .................................................................8 Note : EnSave 9s goal is to help our clients save energy and reduce pollution on America 9s farms and in food processing facilities. EnSave, Inc. does not represent any equipment manufacturer or any one equipment dealer. Energy savings presented herein are estimates and are based upon information gathered during the process of conducting this energy audit. Actual savings may vary from estimated savings due to a variety of factors including changes in energy usage and energy costs. Equipment costs presented within this document are estimates and are based upon available pricing information. Actual costs may vary from estimated costs due to variables such as product availability and geographic location. Numbers presented herein may not add up precisely due to rounding. Property of EnSave, Inc. S UMMARY I NTRODUCTION The Maryland Farm Energy Audit Program is made possible through a partnership between the following organizations: the USDA 9s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Maryland Energy Administration, the Eastern Shore Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc., and EnSave, Inc. The goal of this energy audit program is to help agricultural producers participating in the NRCS 9s Conservation Security Program lower their operating costs. This report identifies and recommends energy saving changes that could be made to the current farming operation. Productivity improvement recommendations are also made. EnSave conducted an agricultural energy use site assessment on September 1, 2006. This report provides a plan to optimize the farm 9s energy efficiency and provides information on ways to improve production. S IGNIFICANT F INDINGS By taking action on the energy efficiency recommendations detailed in this report, Poultry Paradise Farm will save approximately $3,423 per year in electricity costs (42,407 kWh) and $11,174 per year in propane costs (7,449 gallons). In addition, by taking action on the productivity improvements outlined in this report, it is conservatively estimated that about $10,000 in additional annual income could be realized. Bottom Line: Taking no action would be expensive. EnSave recommends acting on the electric and propane savings to avoid having to pay years of electricity and propane bills that are higher than necessary, and to realize substantial productivity benefits. EnSave, Inc. 1 Property of EnSave, Inc. E NERGY E FFICIENT E QUIPMENT & P RODUCTIVITY I MPROVEMENTS Table 1 summarizes the costs and benefits of the recommended energy saving equipment and productivity improvements available. Energy saving equipment lowers costs by performing the same or more work with less energy. Electricity savings are based on an average cost per kilowatt-hour of $0.0807. Productivity improvements produce a net economic gain even when increases in related energy costs are taken into account (electricity and/or propane). Propane cost savings are based on an average cost per gallon of $1.50. Poultry productivity financial estimates made herein are based on an average price of $0.05/lb. More detailed explanations of individual energy saving and productivity improvements are provided later in this report. Table 1- Summary of Energy Efficiency and Productivity Improvements Energy Efficiency Improvements Annual Electricity Savings (kWh) Annual Energy Savings (Million Btu) Estimated Installed Cost [a] Annual Energy Cost Savings [b] Payback in Years [a / b] Lighting 42,407 144.7 $2,365 $3,423 0.7 Productivity Improvements 3 Energy Annual Electricity Savings or (Increase) (kWh) Annual Propane Savings (Gallons) Annual Energy Savings (Increase) (Million Btu) Insulate Side Walls 2,238 205.0 Insulate Brood Curtain 1,279 117.2 Seal Air Leaks 959 87.8 Install Circulation Fans 639 58.5 Install Radiant Tube Heaters 1,918 175.7 Add Tunnel Ventilation (11,042) (37.7) Install Controllers 416 38.1 Energy savings and productivity increases are not cumulative because some of the improvements offset the benefits of others. For instance, the productivity benefit potential of insulating side walls (2% increase production potential) and sealing air leaks (2% increase production potential), will not add up to a 4% production increase because the benefits are interactive. In this case, insulating side walls will actually seal up some of the air leaks. Productivity Improvements 3 Financial Estimated Annual % Production Increase 1 Estimated Annual Weight Gain (Pounds) Estimated Installed Cost [a] Annual Energy Cost Savings [b] Estimated Annual Production Benefit [c] Payback in Years a / (b+c) Insulate Side Walls 2% 40,458 $27,000 $3,357 $2,023 5.0 Insulate Brood Curtain 3% 60,687 $600 $1,918 $3,034 0.1 Seal Air Leaks 2% 40,458 $1,500 $1,439 $2,023 0.4 Install Circulation Fans 5% 101,145 $11,364 $959 $5,057 1.9 Install Radiant Tube Heaters 3% 60,687 $26,025 $2,878 $3,034 4.4 Add Tunnel Ventilation 3% 60,687 $2,800 ($891) $3,034 1.3 Install Controllers 2% 33,000 $8,840 $623 $1,650 3.9 1 Estimates of production increases are from Dr. Barry Lott, Extension Professor, Poultry Science Department, Mississippi State University. EnSave, Inc. 2 Property of EnSave, Inc. CURRENT STATUS C URRENT F ARM O PERATION Mr. Ben Growen owns and operates the Poultry Paradise Farm a crop and poultry farm located at 123 Broiler Road, Federalsburg MD. There are three poultry houses in all 3 two (#1 and #2) are 41 9 x 550 9 and one (#3) is 45 9 x 540 9. All three houses are tunnel ventilated with cooling evaporator pads installed. The tunnel ventilation fans were installed new in 2001. There are 5 to 5.5 flocks raised each year with approximately 93,000 chickens per flock. Annually, a total of approximately 465,000 birds are raised on this farm. The birds are in the houses for about 58 days. The chickens are shipped to Mountaire Farms, the farm 9s integrator. During the usage period from November 2005 through October 2006, this farm and farm house used 170,273 kilowatt-hours of electricity. At an average cost of $0.0807 per kilowatt-hour (fees included), the total cost of electricity was $13,741. The actual monthly electricity usage (kWh) is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 2 illustrates the end uses of the electricity used on the farm. Miscellaneous uses include pump motors and small electrical end uses such as repair shop tools and lighting. Figure 1 - Twelve Month Electricity Usage (kWh) (November 2005 to October 2006) 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 Nov-05 Dec-05 Jan-06 Feb-06 Mar-06 Apr-06 May-06 Jun-06 Jul-06 Aug-06 Sep-06 Oct-06 kWh Usage/Month EnSave, Inc. 3 Property of EnSave, Inc. Figure 2 - Electricity Use Breakdown (November 2005 to October 2006) Sidewall Ventilation 11% Lighting 27% Miscellaneous Electric 1% Tunnel Ventilation 61% C URRENT VS . P ROPOSED E LECTRIC U SE In Figure 3, current electricity use is compared against proposed energy use after the installation of all recommended electric energy efficiency equipment. Figure 3 does not include any benefits or energy savings from productivity improvements. Figure 3 - Comparison of Current and Proposed Electricity Use (kWh/Year) 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 Annual kWh Tunnel Ventilation Sidewall Ventilation Lighting Miscellaneous Electric Current Usage (November 2005 to October 2006) Proposed Usage EnSave, Inc. 4 Property of EnSave, Inc. RECOMMENDATIONS L IGHTING E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS The farm currently uses both 60 and 100-Watt incandescent light bulbs. Lighting equals 27% of the overall electrical energy consumed on this farm. Like all broiler house operations, the chicken house lights are turned on and off and dimmed according to the age of the birds. From the schedule provided, EnSave identified significant potential savings from installing dimmable 5-Watt cold cathode fluorescent lights. At full power cold cathode lights provide somewhat less light than 60-Watt incandescent lights, however, the quantity of light produced will accomplish the task of stimulating the birds to eat and drink. In total there are one hundred and ninty-eight 60-Watt light bulbs and sixty-six 100-Watt light bulbs used on this farm. Using operating hours provided, the house lights collectively consume 46,798 kWh per year. Recommendation #L1 : Replace 60-Watt bulbs with 5-Watt cold cathode, dimmable bulbs. Installing cold cathode fluorescent lamps would save approximately $2,658 on electricity annually and the estimated $2,168 investment would payback in a little less than one year. Recommendation #L2 : Replace 100-Watt bulbs with 24-Watt compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Installing CFLs would save approximately $765 on electricity annually and the estimated $197 investment would payback in about three months. Figure 4 and Table 2 show that significant electrical energy can be saved by installing energy efficient (EE) lighting. Figure 4 - Lighting Electricity Use (kWh/Year) 46,798 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 Annual kWh 4,391 Current lighting usage (November 2005 to October 2006) Proposed lighting usage NOTE: Consult an electrician before installing dimmable cold cathode lights. Not all dimmers used for incandescent lights are compatible for use with these newer lights. EnSave, Inc. 5 Property of EnSave, Inc. Table 2 - Lighting System Recommended Energy Saving Equipment Equipment Annual kWh Savings Annual Btu Savings (million) Estimated Installed Cost [a] Annual Cost Savings [b] Payback in Years = a / b #L1: 5 Watt Cold Cathode Fluorescents for 60 Watt Incandescent Bulbs 32,931 112.4 $2,168 $2,658 0.8 #L2: 24 Watt CFLs for 100 Watt Incandescent Bulbs 9,476 32.3 $197 $765 0.3 Totals: 42,407 144.7 $2,365 $3,423 0.7 H EATING E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS House #1 and #2 have forced hot air (FHA) box heaters hung from the ceiling. House #3 has the same FHA heaters plus pancake radiant heaters. Each FHA box heater has a capacity of 225,000 Btu/hr. The pancake heaters have a capacity of 40,000 Btu/hr. The propane used for heating the poultry houses is supplied by Tri Gas & Oil. During 2005 this farm used 12,789 gallons of propane for heating the poultry houses. The cost per gallon of propane was $1.219. From January 2006 through October 2006 a total of 6,441 gallons of propane had been used at a price of $1.500 per gallon. Comparing 2005 to 2006 for this farm: Propane usage 3 the farm appears to be using approximately the same amount of propane Cost per gallon 3 $0.281 more is being paid for propane in 2006 Gallons of propane per bird 3 0.01 fewer gallons in 2006 Propane cost per bird 3 $0.013 (2006 same as 2005) The following heating efficiency recommendations include both energy efficiency and productivity benefits. Recommendation #H1 : Replace all heaters with radiant tube heaters (see the Resources section of this report for a description of radiant tube heaters). All existing heaters at the farm are less efficient than radiant tube heaters. Radiant tube heaters do a better job of providing needed heat to chickens down at the floor level. Since hot air rises, FHA heaters heat the entire volume of air above the chickens before heating the air at floor level. With a ten year payback it is marginally justifiable to install radiant tube heaters based on energy savings alone. Yet, when combined with the estimated productivity increase of 3% the payback period of 4.4 years is much more appealing. Recommendation #H2 : Hang twelve 18 d or 20 d circulation fans from the ceilings of house #1 and #2, and fourteen circulation fans in house #3. Propane savings of 10 3 30% have been documented through the installation of circulation fans in broiler houses. For this study, a very conservative 5% savings estimate was used. These circulation fans bring the heated air at the ceiling down to the floor, thus reducing the run time of the space heaters. It is estimated that the installation of these fans will save 639 gallons of propane per year and at the 2006 price of $1.500 per gallon that equals $959 saved annually. EnSave, Inc. 6 Property of EnSave, Inc. With an estimated installation cost of $11,364 and an estimated annual productivity benefit of $5,057 the installation of circulation fans will have a payback of 1.9 years. See the Productivity Benefits section of this report for a discussion of the additional productivity improvements which result from the installation of circulation fans. Recommendation #H3 : Install controllers in house #1 and #2. The payback of 3.9 years is based on an estimated installation cost of $8,840. Significant Finding: Gary VanWicklen, Extension Poultry Engineer & Associate Professor in the Department of Bioresources Engineering at the University of Delaware provided EnSave with results from a test conducted in side-by-side houses (60 ft x 500 ft, solid side wall construction) where one house used forced hot air heaters and the other was retrofitted with radiant tube heaters mounted just below the ceiling in the center of the house. Chickens in the house heated with radiant tubes consistently weighed 0.20 lbs per bird more than those in the other house. In addition to the 20% reduction in propane used during a winter flock, the grower moved birds 3 days earlier out of the house with radiant tube heat, saving $1,800 in production cost compared to the house heated with forced air furnaces. This test was conducted in Hurlock, Maryland from November 2004 through May 2005. A DDITIONAL P ROPANE H EATING R EDUCTION O PPORTUNITIES Data from the University of Georgia 9s Extension Service shows that utilizing the heat trapped above a dropped ceiling can significantly reduce the propane needed during the first few weeks of a flock. Whenever a flock is new to a house and heating will be required there is often a reserve of solar heated air that has been created at no cost to the grower. All that is needed is the equipment to bring the heated air down into the house. See the Internet Resource section at the end of this report. Recommendation #H4 : Install twelve ceiling inlets in house #1 and #2 and thirteen in house #3. For approximately $120 per ccounter-weighted ceiling inlet d a grower can have access to that free solar heat. The following generic information should be useful to determine the value of installing these inlets. Potential heating value of solar heated attic air : 3 ceiling inlets @ 1,800 cfm each = 5,400 cfm 5,400 cfm of heated air that is 20° F hotter than outside air = 116,640 Btu/hr 91,600 Btu = 1 gallon of propane 116,640 Btu/hr / 91,600 Btu/gallon = 1.27 gallon/hr 8 hr/day x 1.27 gallons/hr x $1.500/gallon of propane = $15.24/day 45 days/yr x $15.24/day = $686/yr Installed cost of 3 inlets = $120 x 3 = $360 $360 / $686 = about 6 months to payback the investment EnSave, Inc. 7 Property of EnSave, Inc. V ENTILATION E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS The cost of electricity to operate the ventilation fans for this farm represent approximately 61% of the total electric bill for the 12-month period analyzed. All tunnel fans are five years old. Table 3 lists ventilation fans for each poultry house, including the number of fans, type and size. Table 3 3 Existing Fan Inventory House # No. & Size Tunnel Fans No. & Size Circulation Fans No. & Size Side Wall Fans 1 9 / 48 d 0 4 / 36 d 2 9 / 48 d 0 4 / 36 d 3 9 / 48 d 0 4 / 36 d Totals 27 / 48 d 0 12 / 36 d These fans have not been metered to determine their specific run times. Based on information provided and for purposes of this report an estimate of 2,800 hours of operation annually for each tunnel fan is used. Side wall exhaust fans are estimated to run 1,700 hours annually. The attached Resource, Selecting Tunnel Ventilation Fans , discusses the value of buying the most energy efficient fans available. The following tunnel ventilation recommendation includes both energy efficiency and productivity benefits. Tunnel Ventilation: EnSave analyzed the ventilation needs of the broiler houses on this farm in relation to: 1) the recommended cubic feet per minute (cfm) fan capacity for the house size; 2) air velocity; and 3) the financial impact of installing a specific number of new energy efficient (EE) fans. Table 4 shows the current condition for tunnel ventilation and the number of fans needed to reach the required minimum cfm ventilation rate, and the number of additional fans needed to attain the optimal 600 feet per minute (ft/min) air velocity. Table 4 - Minimum Tunnel Ventilation House # No. of Existing Fans Current cfm Capacity [a] Minimum cfm Required [b] Shortfall = b - a New Fan cfm Add Number of Fans to Reach Minimum cfm and attain 600 ft/min Velocity* 1 9 162,000 190,000 28,000 22,000 1 2 9 162,000 190,000 28,000 22,000 1 3 9 162,000 214,225 52,225 22,000 2 27 Totals 4 *While it is worthwhile to show the cfm shortfall and the new fan cfm, there is not a direct correlation between the cfm shortfall and the additional cfm being added by the new fans. EnSave, Inc. 8 Property of EnSave, Inc. Note : Please see the Productivity Benefits section of this report for details on the recommendation to increase the number of tunnel ventilation fans to attain a recommended 600 ft/min. air velocity in each house. The economic benefits of increasing air velocity are discussed in that section. The attached Resource: Big Birds, Hot Weather 3 and Maximum Comfort, Performance and Profit , provides the reasoning for having this level of air velocity. Recommendation #V1 : Install a total of four additional tunnel EE fans in the houses in order to provide the minimum cfm and to attain a wind speed of 600 ft/min. Work with a fan vendor to check the current velocity with all of the tunnel fans operating at full speed before adding new EE fans. (One additional fan in house #1 and house #2. Two additional fans in house #3.) This recommendation will cost approximately $2,800 for the four additional fans. These new fans will result in an additional electric expense of $891 per year. When added to the productivity benefits from increasing the air velocity the overall payback will be approximately 1.3 years. Recommendation #V2 : To maximize the energy savings set the controller to turn on the fans in the same sequence each time, so that the newer, EE fans come on before the older fans. Side Wall Ventilation : Overall, there are twelve 36 d side wall ventilation fans in the three houses with a calculated run time of 1,700 hours per year. It is not economically justifiable to replace these fans based on energy savings. Recommendation #V3 : Move the shutters from the outside of the side wall fans to the inside and put a guard up on the outside. Moving the shutters to the intake side will provide a 10 3 15% increase in fan airflow. This increase in performance may allow fan run time to be reduced. NOTE: Establish a weekly fan cleaning schedule! Dirty fan housings, shutters, and blades can reduce air flow and efficiency by up to 27%! V ENTILATION F AN S ELECTION Attached to this report are pages excerpted from the Energy Efficient Ventilation Fan Ranking Guide published by EnSave as part of a two-year ventilation fan program conducted in California. Fan efficiency is rated in two ways: 1) cfm/Watt, cubic feet of air moved by one Watt of electricity; the higher the cfm/Watt the higher the efficiency; and 2) by airflow ratio; this ratio gives an indication of the fan 9s ability to continue to push air even when there is a contrary wind blowing back at the fan (the higher the ratio the better). Also included from the Ranking Guide are the first pages from the 48 d and the 36 d, single phase, exhaust fan sections. These pages list specific fan make and model numbers. This information can be shown to local fan dealers to discuss which fans might be best for the operation and that also may be available. EnSave, Inc. 9 Property of EnSave, Inc. For example, the first 48 d fan listed, the Acme BDR48JL-C, moves 17,100 cfm of air, an efficiency of 23.8 cfm/Watt, and an air flow ratio of only 0.70. Generally, having a minimum air flow ratio of 0.73 is desirable. The fan listed fourth from the bottom on the first page of the same sheet, the Acme DDPS48J1-C, moves 20,300 cfm, has an efficiency of 20.9 cfm/Watt, and an air flow ratio of 0.83. Depending upon the cost of the two fans and the ventilation needs of the chicken house the second fan might be the better choice. Fan selection on the Eastern Shore of Maryland EnSave contacted many of the retailers of poultry house and dairy equipment on the Eastern Shore to discuss ventilation fans, lighting, heaters, and house improvements. Each retailer generally sells one or two brands of ventilation fans and the pricing varies significantly. For instance, a 48 d ventilation fan with a cone on the outside and shutters on the inside varies in price from about $400 to over $900. Importantly, the dealers are willing to order fans to your specifications. EnSave recommends ordering the most energy efficient fans available. Use the Simple Payback Calculator sheet (attached) to compare the fans that are available from your local dealers. It is very often cheaper in the long run to buy a more expensive, more efficient fan because for years it will cost less to operate. EnSave strongly recommends against buying inefficient tunnel ventilation fans since the electrical operating costs of inefficient fans will far exceed any initial cost savings due to their lower purchase price. All of the fans on the attached lists have been tested by the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign 9s Bioenvironmental and Structural Systems Laboratory (BESS Lab www.bess.uiuc.edu ). Manufacturer contact information is also attached. In the Resources section of this report is a paper entitled Selecting Tunnel Ventilation Fans . This paper provides definitive evidence that buying less expensive fans is often a poor economic choice. It demonstrates that the payback for EE fans is often short enough that purchasing a more energy efficient, more expensive fan is the best choice. M ISCELLANEOUS E LECTRICAL E QUIPMENT E FFICIENCY R ECOMMENDATIONS In broiler chicken houses the energy using equipment besides lights, ventilation fans, and heaters include a variety of motors. These motors are used for moving feed from silos to the houses and the feed lines, moving drinking water to the chickens, and moving water to the evaporation cooling system 3 foggers or cooling pads. These motors operate every day a flock is in a chicken house, yet there are two reasons why it is not justifiable to replace these motors based on energy savings: " First , they do not operate for a sufficient number of hours annually to justify replacement. Here is a simple calculation to help illustrate this point: On average a grower will have 5.5 flocks each year, and the chickens will be in the house for about 48 days, or 264 days per year. If one of these motors runs 6 hours per day, the motor will run 1,584 hours annually. Typically, to justify replacing a motor based upon energy savings alone, it needs to run a minimum of 2,000 hours annually. " Second , most of these motors are small, 3/4 horsepower (hp) or 1 hp and motors of that size do not draw enough energy to justify replacing them. EnSave, Inc. 10 Property of EnSave, Inc. Note : To consistently have the lowest possible energy consumption from these motors, when three phase motors 1 hp or greater burn out always replace them with the most energy efficient motor available. EnSave recommends replacing motors with units that meet the NEMA Premium ® standard. For information on NEMA Premium ® , see http://www.nema.org/gov/energy/efficiency/premium/ EnSave recommends that when any of the motors fail that they be replaced with 3/4 hp motors, which will collectively represent a 2 hp savings when they have all been replaced. There are a number of other miscellaneous pieces of equipment, such as shop tools, welder, air compressor that are not operated sufficiently long enough to justify replacing them with other more energy efficient equipment. Miscellaneous Suggestions : Mississippi State University Extension Service has compiled a list of helpful, inexpensive ways poultry growers can reduce their energy costs. Their publication, Reduce Energy Costs in Poultry Houses is a worthwhile list of techniques every grower can implement fairly quickly (attached). PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS There are a number of poultry house retrofits that have been shown to increase productivity, in addition to saving energy. Upgrades that currently are not in place are discussed here. I NSULATE S IDE W ALLS Retrofitting uninsulated poultry houses offers both energy savings and production benefits. Studies at Auburn University, in Auburn, Georgia, have been conducted on poultry houses to quantify the energy savings and the production benefits. In these studies energy savings of up to 35% have been identified. Insulating side walls allows the grower greater control over the environment inside the house. Unwanted air leaks can be eliminated and provide better cooling of the birds. I NSULATE B ROOD C URTAIN There are two significant reasons for insulating the brood curtain. The first is that the heat produced by the heating system will be held in the area where it is needed, especially during the first few weeks of the flock. The second reason is to help reduce the moisture on the floor of the brood area. Insulating the brood curtain can be as simple as installing a second layer of plastic sheeting an inch behind the primary sheet. By adding the sheet with the cushion of air between them the R-value will be increased by approximately 100%. In real numbers it will go from an R of 1 to about an R of 2 and while these are small numbers the related productivity benefits are significant. S EAL A IR L EAKS Studies at multiple universities have shown that a 1/8 th inch crack running the length of a 500 9 long house is the equivalent of having a 2 9 x 5 9 hole in the house. The tighter the house the better the control of the air flow, the lower the use of propane for heating, the lower the relative humidity, and the better the bird performance. EnSave, Inc. 11 Property of EnSave, Inc. C IRCULATION F ANS Through the installation of circulation fans there can be a 5% production gain from the additional weight gained by the birds due to the air temperature fluctuations being significantly less than without the fans. In tests done by the University of Georgia the temperature difference between the floor and the ceiling was compared. During cold weather it varied as much as 20° Fahrenheit. During early spring the temperature difference ranged from 4° to 10° F. In the house with the circulation fans the warm air was moved down to the floor sufficiently to reduce the run time of the heaters by 20%. In addition to the fuel savings there will be reduced wear and tear on the heaters themselves. In the University of Georgia study an additional benefit from the installation of circulation fans was that the relative humidity at the floor level was about 10% lower than without the fans. Lower humidity delivers a benefit of drier litter, thus helping to keep the flock healthier. R ADIANT T UBE H EATERS It is easy to understand that a long tube projecting (radiating) heat will provide more of its heat down where it is needed, to the birds and the floor, than a series of smaller, round brood heaters. It is also easy to understand that, like the heat from a wood stove, a radiant tube heater will provide a more uniform and longer lasting heat, because it will heat the objects (birds and floor) more effectively than will a forced hot air burner. Many growers have recognized that it is counter productive, and quite costly, to heat the air in a poultry house and then suck that warm air out of the house with ventilation fans. A DDITIONAL V ENTILATION As previously discussed, there is convincing evidence indicating that by providing 600 ft/min. of air velocity during the last two weeks of grow out, birds can gain upwards of 1/2 pound over what they would have gained at a lower, more typical velocity of 400 ft/min. This weight gain can add significant income at relatively little cost. For example, from a study conducted at the USDA Agricultural Resource Service (ARS) poultry research unit at Mississippi State University, a 0.20 pound gain for 20,000 birds will produce a 4,000 pound total weight gain. If $0.05 is paid per pound then the grower will have a gross gain of $200 per house, per flock. While it was not reported, there will also be a financial gain from a higher feed conversion. The additional cost for running the fans longer to maintain the 600 ft/min. velocity, rather than the more common 400 ft/min, was determined to be about $71, leaving the grower with a conservative estimated gain of about $129 per house, per flock. The attached Resource: Big Birds, Hot Weather 3 and Maximum Comfort, Performance and Profit further discuss this study. E LECTRONIC C ONTROLS Poultry houses have multiple environmental systems 3 lighting, heating, and ventilation 3 that all interact. The ventilation fans need to be off when the heaters are working. The air inlet boxes need to be open when one or more exhaust fans come on. The water pumps for evaporative cooling pads and the tunnel ventilation fans both need to come on when the inside temperature becomes too hot. These interacting systems are operated either by hand or can be coordinated with electronic controls. Installing controls will not relieve the grower of having to come into the house, yet can be set so that the lights, fans, and cooling systems come on and go off, even if no one is around to turn the dials or flip the switches. EnSave, Inc. 12 Property of EnSave, Inc. Electronic controls will save money over the use of manual controls. Heaters will not inadvertently be left on longer than needed when electronic controls have been set to turn heaters off when the desired temperature is reached. Studies have shown a 10% savings in heating fuels when controllers have been installed. Electronic controls will help generate a production increase. When all of the various temperature, humidity, and lighting settings have been entered into a control system then all of the daily human decision making and manual changes are eliminated and the systems will turn on and off automatically and the birds will have a more stable, controlled environment in which to grow. It has been estimated that following the installation of electronic controls a 2% increase in production, measured by an increase in weight gained over the same time period, will occur. RESOURCES E NERGY E FFICIENCY The following information sheets describe the equipment and productivity benefits. They include explanations of how each piece of equipment saves energy and how each process improvement helps increase production. Additional resources have been included in the actual farm audits. For more information, please contact EnSave. " Selected pages from the Energy Efficient Ventilation Fan Ranking Guide, published by EnSave, Inc. Note : Currently there are no independent articles or research papers detailing the usage or energy savings from the use of cold cathode lights in livestock housing. There are, however, tens of thousands of them in use in broiler houses today and anecdotally they appear to be providing sufficient light and saving substantial electricity. EnSave, Inc. 13 Property of EnSave, Inc. I NTERNET R ESOURCES There are many valuable internet resources available for poultry growers. Further information, including relevants links, are included in the actual farm audit. Please contact EnSave for more information. R ENEWABLE E NERGY There are two renewable energy potentials most readily available 3 wind and solar. With a view towards reducing a farm 9s electric costs, currently investing in one of these systems is not likely to be cost effective until electricity costs exceed $0.15 per kWh. EnSave, Inc. 14 There are significant Federal (30%) and state (20%) tax credits, plus 25% grant funds from the USDA 9s 2002 Farm Bill (competitive process), and low interest loan funds (1 - 2%) available to farmers. Recognizing that the cost of electricity, in all likelihood, will be rising and depending upon the specific interest of a grower, these renewable energy sources might be worth exploring . Additional links to further information were included in the actual farm audit. Please contact EnSave for more information. Property of EnSave, Inc.

less