Britain's farmers and horticulturists could see savings of up to a quarter on their energy bills by upgrading equipment, improving energy efficiency and changing behaviour. That's according to E.ON which today launched a range of tailored measures and bespoke advice designed to help companies have greater control of their energy consumption and costs.
 

From simple measures such as identifying the most energy-hungry appliances to replacing old or inefficient equipment, agricultural businesses could see savings of up to 28 per cent1.
 

E.ON's 'Energy Toolkit' is a new package of help and advice for small businesses designed to help companies see where and when energy is used and delivered in a way that doesn't disrupt normal business. Customers can request a free wireless energy monitor giving a real-time display of how their energy use stacks up and have access to energy saving advice relevant to their specific industry and company size.
 

Anthony Ainsworth, Sales and Marketing Director at E.ON, said: "Small business owners are often tied up doing lots of things – they are the boss, sales agent, secretary, procurement department and accountant all in one. It's safe to say they no business owner wants to waste money, yet that's what using unnecessary amounts of energy does.
 

"Our customers told us they wanted help with this, and that is why we've created our new Energy Toolkit – to help customers use no more energy than they need and to do so in a way that fits alongside their busy lives.
 

"With our energy monitor, customers can see at-a-glance how much appliances cost, the potential savings they could make and payback periods for new technologies. And by speaking to our dedicated advisers, customers can take any guesswork out of simple energy efficiency measures or even larger budget investments that could provide greater benefit over a longer period of time."

Where is energy used in agriculture (%)

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Case Study

G Bacon and Sons dairy farm is a busy place with 350 cows to milk twice a day. The Nottinghamshire farm is looking to maximise every last drop of milk and energy.
 
Rob Bacon explains: "One of our biggest overheads is our energy. We rely on it every day to run our semi-automated milking parlour, refrigeration tanks and cooling systems, as well as our heating and lighting. Dairy farming is tough right now, so costs are key – from getting a fair deal for our milk, to knowing what we'll be spending on energy. And every day we try not to waste a thing. Nothing goes to waste, not even our cow muck. It makes great fertiliser and a little extra money too."
 
Across the industry, an average of two-thirds (66%) of energy used in agriculture goes towards heating and refrigeration. Potential savings of 20% could be found by improving heating and drying controls with 15% possible savings for maintaining refrigeration.
 
Anthony added: "Energy use across agriculture and horiticulture varies hugely across different operations – be it a dairy farmer using refrigeraton and vacuum pumping or a horticulturalist controlling a green house environment – monitoring where energy is used can help highlight where businesses are using power and identify potential solutions.
 
"Customers often find they'll also change their behaviours to operate more efficiently. And staff can get in on the action too; we already have a package of help on our website which includes downloadable posters as well as advice which companies can use around their sites to inspire and educate colleagues."
 
To help with relevant advice, E.ON offers all its business customers a dedicated energy saving advice line, where advisers get to know a customer and their business to see where and when they are wasting energy and by identifying areas where changes could be made to improve efficiency.
 
Customers can also request the latest wireless energy monitor which displays how much energy different devices are using in a business and allows them to measure energy use by cost, kilowatt-hours and even CO2 emissions.
 
The wireless energy monitor updates every 10 seconds so customers can see the impact of turning appliances on or off almost instantly. It has an innovative memory function that compares energy use by day, week or month and also displays daily averages to show when consumption of higher than average.
 

Energy and money saving tips for farming and horticulture

There's no such thing as an average agriculture and horticulture business, and figures will vary according to scale and type of operation. Cereal producers usually use lots of energy for drying, while intensive livestock farmers are likely to use most of their energy for heating and ventilation.

Just like any business, agriculture and horiticulture are industries that use energy to improve efficiency and quality, and to provide the best environment for what they produce.

We look at some of the ways where energy efficiency can enhance quality and profit in agriculture and horiticulture, and to help improve the care of animals and plants.
 
•    Use advanced temperature controls and sensors to make sure refrigeration levels stay accurate. For large refrigerated areas like vegetable stores use multiple sensors to get a true measure of temperature;
•    Large airy spaces, like workshops or pack houses are difficult and expensive to heat, so you must focus on getting heat to where it's required. A good choice might be a blown air heater;
 
•    For heating in livestock production – such as creep heating for pigs – it's vital to achieve the right environment while controlling energy costs. The key to this is control. Temperature profiling during rearing periods automates the daily adjustment of temperature to deliver the best performance and efficiency;
•    Heat in horticulture – glasshouse heating demands a great deal of energy, so the integrity of your glasshouse structure is really important if heating is to be minimised. Keep an eye on how well vents close and seal, and also look into using thermal screens;
 
•    New refrigeration equipment has more efficient compressors, closer controlled expansion valves and variable speed condenser fans which should lower your energy use – check for these components before choosing a new system;
•    In both poultry production and production of plants. LED lighting allows clever manipulation of the light spectrum so the requirements of the animal or plant can be optimised, minimising the energy required to do the job – and of course the cost.