5 Ways to Make Your Farm More Energy Efficient and Save Money
Running a farm can require a huge amount of electricity, making energy costs one of the biggest overheads in the agricultural sector. Many of GridDuck’s customers tell us that it’s their most expensive overhead after labour costs. This can affect profitability.
Energy costs are also rising dramatically. Currently, costs are going up as a result of a change in the wholesale cost of buying energy, which has skyrocketed. In addition, there are likely to be higher carbon taxes associated with fossil fuel-produced electricity. Yet many farms have very little data about their energy consumption and how much is being wasted unnecessarily.
So how can your farm or agricultural business become more energy efficient and save money?
GridDuck has put together a guide to help you can bring down energy costs and reduce your overall carbon emissions. A bonus is that this will help you transition to low-carbon agriculture, a key way of achieving net zero by 2050.
1) Know how your business is performing with data:
It’s hard to know precisely how much electricity you are using if you don’t have a good way of measuring it. Dairy units, cold stores and grain stores, for example, could be operating inefficiently, costing you money. But how will you know this? Knowledge is power.
Technology is available that will let you see where and when you are consuming energy round the clock in real time. You can get alerts when appliances, buildings and warehouses are consuming more energy than might be normal, or at unusual times. GridDuck uses an at-a-glance dashboard that will help you make better decisions about running your farm or business. The dashboard produces graphs from the installation of wireless monitors and sensors.
Some of our customers question why it’s necessary to buy extra equipment to keep track of their energy use. Keep in mind that you are not really buying products, you are purchasing data. As the cost of energy goes up, the value of data will go up, too, because accurate information about your energy waste will save you even more money in the long run.
GridDuck helped one strawberry farm reduce their electricity costs by 56%. With our system, our client could see that a huge amount of electricity was being used to heat staff caravans, even when they were empty. The farm is now able to track the consumption of each caravan, send alerts and switch things off automatically.
Energy Saving on a farm caravan site using GridDuck’s System
2) Start using on-site renewables:
As a nation, we are headed towards using more renewables to reduce our carbon footprint. Using renewables on a farm can eventually reduce your running costs, make your farm more sustainable, and improve efficiencies. With gas prices at an all-time high, shifting to renewables will increasingly be a smart investment.
Solar is currently one of the most popular technologies, with a payback period of about six years. If you combine solar with other farm efficiencies, you can shorten the payback period. In fact, it is increasingly becoming cheaper to save the planet than destroy it with gas.
An investment in renewables means that you’d be in good company too. A recent survey from independent finance lender Propel found that 75% of farmers are looking to acquire new assets, including renewable energy equipment. Those under the age of 34 or with larger farms were among those most open to new technology. In the survey of more than 500 UK farmers, 30% said they were “considering” renewable energy, while 25% said they’d already implemented it.
GridDuck’s system of wireless monitors and sensors can be integrated with renewables to help you get the most for your money. Our team is working with an apple farm using a chilled warehouse with solar panels on the roof. Using our technology is helping them keep the warehouse chilled without the need of constant refrigeration.
When it’s very sunny and warm, we can switch the cooling system on automatically. Otherwise, we can leave it to cool naturally, saving both electricity and money. Think about whether you might be able to apply similar techniques.
3) Use fertilisers more efficiently.
Manufacturing fertilisers is known to be energy-intensive. It’s estimated that its production consumes approximately 1.2% of the world’s energy. However, the International Fertiliser Society believes the global energy consumption can be reduced by almost 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by almost 60% through the implementation of new technology.
It’s probably your goal to use the minimum amount of fertiliser to get the maximum yield. But you need to take many things into account, including: microclimates, nutrient profiles, and soil structure. One way of knowing how much fertiliser you might need is to test the soil regularly. Responsible soil management helps mitigate against climate change, with soil recognised as a vital carbon store.
There are now technologies that will help farmers more accurately analyse their soil without having to take various samples, send them to a lab and wait weeks for a result. Instead, sensor and infrared technologies can make the process more straightforward and allow you to track data over time. Another concept in development is an “electronic nose” that can smell good soil.
Plants and crops can be affected by soil pH. Liming soil will help achieve the optimal pH level, making nutrients more available and reducing the need for fertilisers.
4) Invest in water infrastructure.
According to the National Farmers’ Union, 57% of farmers have experienced flooding or droughts in the last 10 years, and extreme weather events are likely to increase because of climate change. As water becomes an increasingly erratic resource, it’s important to use it efficiently and become better about capturing and storing it. Rainwater harvesting is one of the top solutions. If you have any type of water source on your farm, you can use low-energy pumps to transport it to a water tank, or distribute water to where it’s more needed. This can save you a significant amount on your mains water bills.
On-farm irrigation systems can utilise a huge amount of electricity. If you are using pumps, make sure they are operating efficiently. Anything around 85% is considered good. In fact, any equipment operating inefficiently will be costing you money in electricity, whether it’s a dirty fan or faulty wiring.
Some things that you can try to minimise water waste: put in automated systems and sensors that will tell you when crops need water. Try changing the farm layout so that water flows over the land in a way that is better for the crops. Another tip is to use underground drip systems and overhead sprays. Make sure you upgrade any old meters so that your readings are accurate. Investing in water infrastructure can also help you return some water to the environment.
Wasted water equals electricity waste, which in turn equals money. The key thing to remember if you are trying to make your farm more energy efficient is to reduce waste.
5) Get educated and make use of resources
In a survey of farm practices in 2020, Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) found that 66% of farmers were currently taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their farm. Among some of the main reasons cited for not taking action were being unsure what to do because of conflicting views, lack of information, the expense and thinking it was unnecessary.
If the farming industry is to achieve net zero in the future, doing nothing is not an option. Even though the agricultural industry is seen as a contributor to climate change, it can also be part of the solution. By using resources more efficiently and investing in productivity improvements, you will be helping to reduce the impact on our planet and you’d be boosting your profitability too.
It’s worth checking whether you might be entitled to grants and subsidies to invest in new technology. More information can be found on Ofgem’s energy-efficiency advice for businesses. It includes links to resources that will help you make a start, including independent advice from the likes of The Carbon Trust and the Energy Savings Trust.
If you are interested in cutting your carbon emissions more generally and saving money in the process, GridDuck can help. We offer farms a way of monitoring, automating and controlling their energy usage. To find out more, schedule a quick and informal chat with Miles today.