Energy efficiency was the topic of the day at Garth North Pig Club last night. Nigel Penlington gave advice on some of the ‘easy wins’ for improving energy efficiency on farm. Energy savings and optimising your pigs’ environment go hand in hand with saving money and improving pig productivity.
Key points
to think about:
·
Some
simple pieces of kit can be very useful on farm to determine energy usage e.g.
infrared thermometer
·
Does your
heat pad thermostat corresponds with the actual temperature of the
mat?
·
Energy
usage of lamps versus pads is very similar
·
Controllers
on lights can give big savings – it also saves people the job of turning lights
on and off so they can concentrate on looking after the
pigs
·
‘Switching
off’ isn’t necessarily the most efficient method. Think about where you need to
put the emphasis e.g. effective heating in weaner accommodation and the areas
where you can you save energy i.e. when the pigs are bigger.
Farm
Energy Centre DIY energy audits were handed out to all and Nigel explained how
to fill in the manual – it will be the first time anyone in the group has done
an energy audit.