The QFF Energy Savers team is holding a short webinar series to improve farmers’ knowledge and understanding of their energy usage and how to reduce their electricity bills. The most recent webinar featured David Hunt from the Nursey and Garden Industry Queensland who discussed findings from the nursery energy audits involved in the QFF Energy Savers program.
The results to date showed potential energy savings across 26 nurseries to be 878,852 kWh/yr, and cost savings of $262,129. David mentioned that these savings are not restricted to larger corporations but also “mum and dad” enterprises.
During the webinar it becomes apparent that there are both low and high cost changes you can make to reduce energy consumption associated with heating. The costs shown in the presentation, to implement some changes, ranged from $100 up to $100,000.
A significant point raised showed how energy and plant growth go hand in hand. A 3 mm gap or tear in a greenhouse can allow 14 cubic meters per minute of warm air to escape causing cold areas that not only affect the growth rate but the survival rate of the seedlings. It also requires an extra 7.3 kWh of electrical energy to compensate for that air exchange.
View the presentation slides HERE and a video recording of the webinar HERE.
These findings, and figures from all farming industries are being used to form new and interesting case studies from the program which can be viewed HERE.
Should you have any questions on the program, technology or how you can make changes on site to improve efficiency get in touch with the team at [email protected].