Energy Efficiency Measures and Herd Size
Presentation given at Midwest Rural Energy Council’s
Annual Rural Energy Conference March 2-4, 2016, La Crosse WI.
Fred Daniels, Franklin Energy Services and
Nicole Zaidel, Focus on Energy
Energy Conservation vs Energy Efficiency
• Conservation is behavior.
– Examples:
• Turning off lights when facility is not use.
• Shutting off car while waiting to pick up a friend.
• Energy efficiency is technology.
– Examples:
• Using a LED lamp vs an incandescent lamp.
• Driving a car that gets 30 MPG vs a car that gets 15 MPG
Renewable Energy
• Renewable Energy is creating energy from a source that is not depleted when used.
– Examples:
• Solar
• Wind
• Biomass
• Whereas, energy efficiency and conservation is how we use the energy that we already have.
Opportunities for On-Site Dairy Farm Audits
• Farms with: – Vacuum pumps running ≥ 7 hours a day – No refrigeration heat recovery – 60+ cow farms that have electric water heat – 6,000+ lbs. of milk/day with no plate cooler – 8,000+ lbs. of milk/day with no VSD on the receiver jar
• Farms that are rebuilding or building new. • Farms that are using long day lighting with HID
fixtures.
On-Site Data Collection
• Meet producer on site
• Gather information in a timely manner – Information includes:
• Lbs of milk produced daily
• Time it takes to milk
• Gallons of water used to wash equipment
• Type of water heating equipment
• HP of Compressors
• HP of Vacuum pump
Providing Audit Results
• Dairy Auditing Tool provided by Scott Sanford from UW-Madison
• Important: Share results the same day AND on-site.
– Allows for question and answer
– Interactive reports
– Offers comparisons
Energy Savings & Payback
• Key Factors Include:
– Equipment Runtime
– Load on Equipment
– Equipment/Project Cost
– Cost of Electricity
Audits should factor in ALL of these variables!
Projects Based on Herd Size
• Smaller herd sizes have limited number of cost effective solutions.
• Larger herd sizes will more opportunities for savings.
• Opportunities that are good on small farms will also work on larger farms, but not vise versa.
Lighting Stanchion/Tie-Stall Barns and Milk Houses
•Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology in sealed and gasketed fixtures.
– Longer bulb life than florescent – Instant on in cold temperatures – Average life of 50,000 to 100,000 hours – Approx. 30% less energy than T8’s
• 75% energy savings vs incandescent
• Last 100 times longer
• Now available in 5000K
• Example: A $13 bulb will save $13 per year
– 4hr run time
– $.135 kWh
LED Screw-In Lamps
Refrigeration Heat Recovery (w/Electric WH) 60 Cow Farm Example
• Electric cost savings: $1,050
• Project cost: $2,800
• Payback: 2.1 years
• Additional Benefits: – Compressors run more
efficiently
– Additional hot water storage
Commercial Grade Water Heater
• ENERGY STAR rated
• Use a water heater with less than 1% standby loss
• Commercial grade will allow water heating to 180 Degrees
• Wash water must return to wash sink at 120 degrees F. Adjust temp down to save energy when possible
Scroll Compressors
• Replace compressors on failure to scroll refrigeration compressors.
• Average savings of 15% to 30% by switching from reciprocating to scroll type compressor.
Refrigeration Compressor Maintenance
• Clean cooling fins every 3 months
• Schedule annual tune-up
• Keep compressor area clean of “clutter”
Plate Cooler 80 Cow Farm
• Example: – Electric Savings: $1,700
– Project Cost: $3,300
– Payback: 1.9 years
• Additional Benefits: – Faster cooling – Saves compressor life – Warm discharge water for
cows to drink
Heat Recovery AND Dual Pass Plate Cooler
• Larger farms can benefit from having both a plate cooler and heat recovery unit installed.
• Smaller farms do not have enough milk to
support both heat recovery and plate cooler. WHY?
Lighting Free Stall Barns
• LED High Bay
• Replaces 400W HID fixtures
• Uses significantly less wattage
• Provides equivalent light levels as 400W HID
• Can save $220 per/year
– 18hrs per day
– $.135 Kwh
Variable Frequency Drive on Vacuum Pump
• Example: – Electrical Savings: $3,500
– Project Cost: $6,800
– Payback: 1.9 years
• Additional benefits: – Better vacuum regulation – Quiet operation – Longer Life of Pump
• Recommended install on
Blower/Lobe type
Variable Speed Drive on Receiver Pump
• Removes additional 10 to 15 degrees from milk
• Milk is pumped slower through plate cooler than traditional single speed transfer pumps
• Example:
– Electrical Savings:$1,350
– Project Cost: $3,500
– Payback: 2.6 years
Box Fan Systems
• All fans are not created equal
• Fan efficiencies are base on cfm/watt
• 21 cfm/watt is the standard @ 0.1 static pressure
• Higher the number the more efficient
• Replace on failure
• Long paybacks when looking at replacements
Fan Maintenance • Tighten belts quarterly
– 30% loss
• Clean thermostats of dust and debris
• Clean blades quarterly
• Clean debris out of shutters and exhaust louvers.
– Decrease airflow by 40%
• Ensure mounting brackets are secure
• Retrofit with self tightening belt drives
• Replace motors with totally enclosed motors
High Velocity Low Speed Ventilation (HVLS)
• Moves an estimated 200,000 cfm
• Estimated 100 cfm/watt
• Used in winter to keep fresh air in the barn
• Helps keep birds out of the barn
• Creates a 3mph breeze throughout the barn
• Trade name: Big Ass Fans
Irrigation
• Customer can save 25 to 40% by reducing pressure on center pivot systems.
• Example:
– 50 HP high pressure to 30HP low pressure
• Electrical Cost Savings: $1,400
• Electrical Energy Savings: 15.7 kW and 11,000 kWh
• Project Cost: $4,500
• Payback: 3.2 years
• Better uniformity, Less evaporation
Variable Speed Drive’s: Irrigation
• Works great when:
– One well provides to multiple systems
– System has corner arm
– There are significant changes in elevation
• Adjusts the flow to the correct pressure for each system
Vegetable Storage
• Install VSD’s on ventilation fans
• Example:
– Electric cost savings: $2,658
– Electrical Energy Savings:7.5 kW and 36,000 kWh
– Less shrinkage of product in storage= more CWT sales.
Hog Facilities
• ECM motors on pit fans
• LED replacements
• Low wattage farrowing lights
• Farrowing mats when applicable
• Fan maintenance
• Control strategies (Farm Hand) are working properly
Insulation and Air Sealing
Most heat loss is a result of either improper insulation levels, or too “leaky” of a building shell.
Air Sealing
• Caulk around windows, doors, dryer vents, and outside faucets
• Use expanding spray foam around holes in the attic.
– Such as: chimneys, soil stacks, exhaust fans, etc.
• Older windows tend to be more leaky
– 3M plastic will reduce infiltration in the winter
Insulation • R-value is used to determine
the ‘effectiveness’ of the insulation
• Higher the R-value the better
• Recommendations:
– Attics: R38 or better
– Side Walls: R11 or better
• Typical R-Values:
– Fiberglass Batting: 3.1 per inch
– Cellulose: 3.4 per inch
Heating Equipment
• Upgrade upon failure for units that do not run all winter long or maintain 60 degrees F
• Upgrade atmospheric heaters to sealed combustion heating equipment for units that are operating all winter and maintaining a temperature of at least 60 degrees F
Fred Daniels Franklin Energy 414-750-4092 cell [email protected]
Nicole Zaidel CESA 10 715-720-2142 [email protected]
Contact Information