Check your time clocks

With the “hour” having changed recently and electricity use increasing as winter approaches, it is a good time to check all time clocks and controls on the farm.  If a time clock is only one hour out on a 6 kW water heater it can cost an extra £170 per year.

A number of workshops titled ‘Energy Efficiency on the Farm’ will be delivered by CAFRE during the winter period for dairy farmers. These will highlight ways of reducing costs through improving energy efficiency.

Savings can be made on a dairy unit by:

The most effective way of lowering farm electricity costs is to make maximum use of the cheaper NightSaver Tariff.  Under this tariff electricity costs 6.86 pence a kWh (unit) between 1.00 and 8.00 am in winter (2.00 and 9.00 am in summer) compared to 14.87 pence a kWh during the day.  Heat the water for washing the plant and tanks on the low cost overnight rate.  

Cooling the milk is generally the biggest single energy cost in the parlour.  A suitably sized plate cooler will save 60 percent of your milk cooling costs.  

Water heating is the second largest use of electricity on the dairy farm.  Insulation of water heaters and associated pipe-work is critical for energy savings.  An un-insulated tank will lose 50 percent of its heat in 17 hours, compared to just 5 percent losses with good insulation.   

There can be unnecessary lighting of parlours, sheds and yards.  Savings can be made by installing high efficiency lights and by appropriate use of timers, sensors and proximity switches.  

To enrol for a workshop in your locality contact your Dairying Development Adviser or David Trimble at Greenmount Campus on (028) 9442 6682 or e mail david.trimble@dardni.gov.uk

Michael Graham and David Trimble checking the time clocks on the  Greenmount Campus dairy unit