“Watts” wrong on my pig unit?
Mark Hawe, Pig Technologist, Greenmount Campus CAFRE
Increasing electric bills have focused pig producer’s attention on energy efficiency and areas where savings can be made. Understanding energy usage and making small changes in lighting and ventilation can pay dividends! As every penny counts in the current financial climate all farmers need to look at energy usage critically.
Recently representatives from the Farm Energy Centre at Stonleigh carried out energy audits on two local pig units. They identified areas for improvement which were then highlighted to groups of producers. Areas where simple changes make greatest savings include:
Control light and heat
- In many pig houses lighting uses more electricity than ventilation. If you can’t remember to switch it off, then put it on a time switch!
- Approximately 95 percent of the energy used by a tungsten bulb is given out as heat. Compact fluorescent bulbs, although more expensive, are five times more efficient. The savings in running costs will pay for the additional cost in less than a month.
- It is essential that insulation levels are maintained. Simple equipment is now available to determine the effectiveness of insulation in pig houses.
- Heaters and heat pads must be accurately controlled so that temperature is reduced as pigs get older. Automatic controllers pay for themselves in a few months. However you cannot assume that the reading on the controller is correct –check temperatures regularly.
Overworked fans
- It is important that the correct size of fan is installed in growing and finishing pig houses. If fans are too small they will not provide the correct environment and will be continually “over worked”. Remember the energy used by a fan is directly proportional to the fan speed.
- Air inlet areas must be large enough to ensure the fan can easily draw air into the house. If you feel pressure on a door when you open it, existing inlets are too small. Increasing inlet area can improve fan performance by over 25 percent.
- Keeping fan blades, baffles and guards clean will greatly increase fan efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
CAFRE organising a series of Energy Efficiency training workshops for pig farmers at the end of March. If you would like to attend one of the workshops, please contact Mark Hawe on 028944 26768 or Liz Donnelly 028944 26767 for details.
Andrew Kneeshaw and Stephen Bettany from the Farm Energy Centre conducted a full energy audit on Raymond Cuddy’s pig unit at Dungannon
