A reliable and affordable electricity supply is essential for farms and other agricultural businesses. Farming is generally costly, but the recent spike in electricity rates across the country has made it more strenuous for farmers to make ends meet. Fortunately, lowering your energy costs is a quick and practical approach to reducing your farm expenses.

Whether you have a greenhouse, poultry farm, horse stable, pig farm, insect farm, farm shed, grain dryer or dairy farm, there are several ways to be a more eco-sustainable farmer that will allow you to lower your energy use and save money.

 

How Can I Lower My Farm Electric Bills?

Before minimizing your farm’s power bills, it is necessary to know its energy consumption. Where and when is electricity being used? We suggest evaluating the following systems if they apply to your farm:

  • Insulation 
  • Shading
  • Lighting

Once you have obtained this data, you can start to make changes to lower your costs and operate a more fuel-efficient farm. Here are a few of the most effective strategies to start saving. 

 

Insulate the Farm

Proper thermal insulation is essential in regions where heating or cooling the building in which animals are housed or in greenhouses where vegetables are grown is required. Roof insulation and thermal coatings are essential considerations in sheds. In garden centers and greenhouses, it is critical to ensure that all holes and joints in contact with the outside environment are appropriately sealed. 

 

Shade the Area

Plant trees around the outer walls of your sheds to provide shade and keep the structure cooler. Additionally, you can install radiation filters on the windows to protect the environment from the sun’s radiant energy.

Surprisingly, a minor adjustment in the color of a building’s roof can influence thermal efficiency. For example, white minimizes the amount of energy needed to cool an indoor space by reflecting the sun’s rays.

 

Lighting

The first step for reducing lighting costs in your facility is to switch off lights when not in use.

Many breeders need to accurately replicate outdoor environmental conditions to achieve optimal results from their breeding. Lighting is essential for the biological regulation of living organisms. Artificial lighting systems, which can be controlled by a timer to prevent waste, can regulate the number of light hours available each day.

It would help if you switched out every bulb on your farm with LED lights to reduce your lighting costs further. This technology uses around a quarter of the energy of halogen bulbs while lasting five to ten times as long.

However, the electrical system may need to be reexamined if agricultural applications consume excessive energy.

 

Start Using Electricity More Efficiently

Do you want to make your Minnesota farm eco-friendlier and save a lot of money on your utility bill? Contact R&K Electric today to help cut costs with electrical design-build services, retrofitting, rewiring and electric system upgrades. We will be happy to work with you to see that your demands are addressed.