Energy costs play a critical factor in the budget of anyone involved in pig farming. Oil is now hovering at 100$ a barrel. Given the expected growth in the number of animals being raised and pressure from the ethanol market, feed costs will also be rising.

In this situation controlling or even lowering costs become more important than ever. You can take several concrete steps, some simple, some requiring more effort, which will help make your business more efficient, green, and most importantly, profitable.

1st Step: Get a Handle on Your Energy Usage!

Before you take any steps in controlling costs, you have to examine your farm’s energy usage. This is much more than examining your electricity bills. Monitor your energy usage in real time. Measure and analyze lighting and energy consumption. Using this information, you can then decide where savings can be made.

Some improvements are simple and obvious: closing doors to prevent heat from escaping, reducing lighting times, etc. Other steps, such as installing computer controlled equipment to improve your energy efficiency, require some investigation on your part, to ensure that you install the system best suited for your farm.

A quick note: Rotem can help you with both of these tasks. Our Current Sense Relays* provide real time information on how much electricity your devices are using. Our controllers can help you minimize energy usage. Speak with one of our dealers for details on these products.
*Available in the US only

2nd – Reusing Energy

Animal farms produce a lot of heat. Pig farms can produce heat from slurry. All of this energy can be recycled using air pumps or heat pumps, giving you a valuable alternative to conventional heaters.

Looking Forward

Alternative sources of renewable energy are coming on line. As we have posted here, both hogs and poultry waste can serve as an energy source. Other technologies, such as solar panels, are becoming more and more practical.
Since each farm is different, each of these options has to be investigated to see if they are relevant for your particular situation.