energy savers nursery industry...overview nursery energy savers total energy use for 26 nurseries...
TRANSCRIPT
Energy Savers Plus Program
Nursery Industry
An overview of results and
focus on heating systems
Presented by David Hunt
Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland
Overview Nursery Energy Savers
26 Nurseries
Small Mum and Dad retail nurseries to large commercial production nurseries
0.5 hectares to 12.5 hectares
Crops/Plants grown
Ornamentals – potted colour
Vegetable seedlings – for retail and farmers
Fruit trees – for retail and farmers
Landscape plants – for new developments, councils, & retail
Native plants – for revegetation & retail
Total Qld nursery industry = $921 million
26 nurseries = $37 - $45 million
Nursery size v’s number of plants produced
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
9,000,000
10,000,000
11,000,000
12,000,000
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15,000,000
16,000,000
0
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11 14 24 20 26 6 19 17 15 10 7 23 21 2 9 13 1
Num
ber
of
pla
nts
pro
duced
Nurs
ery
siz
e (
ha)
Nursery number
Nursery area (Ha) Plants produced
Overview Nursery Energy Savers
Total energy use for 26 nurseries
Energy use = 1.867 Mega-Watt hours (1717 tCO2-e)
Costing $454,648
(average Qld house, 2 adults + 2 children = 10,000 to 15,000 kWh per year)
Potential energy savings across 26 nurseries
Energy savings = 878,852 kWh/yr (799 tCO2-e) = 47% reduction
Cost savings = $262,129/yr = 58% reduction
Average payback period = 5 years
Energy cost saving range from $500 to $35,000 per nursery per year
$0
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
$1,400,000
$1,600,000
$1,800,000
$2,000,000
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
Pre-audit Post-audit
Cost
of
ele
ctr
icit
y
kW
h u
sed
kWh used Electricity costs
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
$100,000
$110,000
$120,000
$130,000
$140,000
$150,000
0
25,000
50,000
75,000
100,000
125,000
150,000
175,000
200,000
225,000
250,000
275,000
300,000
325,000
350,000
375,000
400,000
425,000
450,000
25 14 19 2 11 22 3 26 20 17 23 16 6 18 10 13 12 24 4 9 5 21 15 7 1 8
Yearly
ele
ctric
ity C
ost
Yearl
y e
lectr
icic
yty
use
(kW
h)
Nursery identifier
Annual consumption (kWh) Annual cost ($)
Electricity usage v’s electricity costs
Before upgrades
= existing solar PV system onsite
Electricity usage v’s electricity costs
sorted by nursery size
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
$100,000
$110,000
$120,000
$130,000
$140,000
$150,000
0
25,000
50,000
75,000
100,000
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150,000
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350,000
375,000
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425,000
450,000
18 11 25 14 22 24 20 16 8 4 26 6 19 3 17 15 10 5 7 12 23 21 2 9 13 1
Ele
ctric
ity c
osts
Yearl
y e
lectr
icic
yty
use
(kW
h)
Nursery identifier
Annual consumption (kWh) Annual cost ($)
18 11 25 14 22 24 20 16 8 4 26 6 19 3 17 15 10 5 7 12 23 21 2 9 13 1
Potential energy savings per nursery – not to scale
Audit recommendations by category
0
2
4
6
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12
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16
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24
26
28
30
Number of Nurseries Number of recommendations
$0
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
$16,000
$18,000
$20,000
$22,000
$24,000
$26,000
$28,000
$30,000
$32,000
$34,000
$36,000
$38,000
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
$100,000
$110,000
$120,000
$130,000
$140,000
$150,000
$160,000
$170,000
$180,000
19 8 4 5 1 9 7 12 15 18 16 21 24 23 25 17 10 20 13 22 11 3 26 6 2 14
Ele
ctric
ity c
ost sa
vin
gs ($
)
Cost
to im
ple
ment
($)
Nursery identifier
Capital Costs Savings $
Capital costs verses Electricity cost savings
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
$100,000
$110,000
$120,000
$130,000
$140,000
$150,000
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
$400,000
$450,000
25 14 19 2 11 22 3 26 20 17 23 16 6 18 10 13 12 24 4 9 5 21 15 7 1 8
Yearly
ele
ctric
ity C
ost
Ele
ctr
icit
y c
onsu
mpti
on (
kW
h)
= existing solar PV system onsite
Before upgrades
$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000$100,000$110,000$120,000$130,000$140,000$150,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
25 14 19 2 11 22 3 26 20 17 23 16 6 18 10 13 12 24 4 9 5 21 15 7 1 8
Yearly
ele
ctric
ity C
ost
Ele
ctr
icit
y c
onsu
mpti
on (
kW
h)
Annual consumption (kWh) Annual costs ($)
After upgrades
Electricity use verses electricity costs
Heating systems in the nursery industry
Why use heating
Allows crops to be produced out of season to meet seasonal demand
Shorter germination times = more production cycles per year
Roots develop best at temperatures between 16oC and 26oC
Less stress from cold climates increases survival rates
Types of heating systems
Heating lamps
Electric elements in galvanised pipe
Hot air heaters (electric or gas)
Hot wire in foil sheets
Hot wire in sand
Hydronic heating (hot water pipes) under plastic
Hydronic heating (hot water pipes) in sand
Cost of heating systems
Hydronic heating medium size greenhouse
Average electricity use = 134 kWh per day (16 hours)
12 weeks of heating = 15,994 kWh costing $3538
Hot air heater small greenhouse
Average electricity use = 180 kWh per day (10 hours)
10 weeks of heating = 15,120 kWh costing $2454
Hot wire in foil small bench
Average electricity use = 29 kWh per day (24 hours)
25 weeks of heating = 5040 kWh costing $1633
Cost of heating – uninsulated pipes
Hydronic heating systems - exposed pipes
Steel pipe dissipates about 100 watts of energy per meter per hour.
Heat loss from pipes = 35.2 kWh per day
A 123 day heating period is wasting $958 of heat energy.
Cost of heating – greenhouse condition
Greenhouse condition
Torn coverings or open tunnels, or no heat retention technologies
Increases air exchange and causes increase costs for heating
A 3 mm wide tare or gap = 14 m3 per min of air to escape
An extra 7.33 kWh of additional heating to compensate.
Solutions to reduce heating costs
Simple low cost solutions
Insulate heating head
Insulate distribution pipes
Before After
High cost more effective solutions
Install an insulated water tank
Heat water during the day with solar or heat pump
Repair or replace greenhouse coverings
Install thermal screens to retain heat
Techniques that reduce heating system energy use
Tariff choice is relevant but limited benefits.
Check the system is working correctly
Clean and calibrate temperature sensors
Monitor energy use – (install sub-meter or real-time monitor)
Move heating system from above crop to below crop
Repair damaged or torn greenhouse cladding
Benefits of upgrading heating system
Real examples from the Energy Savers Program
SolutionCost to
implement
Energy
savings
(kWh/yr)
Cost
savings
($/yr)
Payback
(years)
Return on
investment
Upgrade thermostat controls & calibrate sensors $185 393 $81 2.3 44%
Insulate heating head pipe & distribution pipe $614 2094 $479 1.3 78%
Add traditional hot water system & insulate pipes $2549 8386 $1855 1.4 73%
Replace with solar hot water, insulated tank & new heating mats $9465 11041 $2173 4.4 23%
Replace with heat pump, insulated tank & new heating mats $17,500 18,000 $3712 4.7 21%
Upgrade the greenhouse to retain more heat $59,000 8000 $11,650 5.1 20%
Resources and Information
There are resources and articles discussing equipment and production efficiency available at
www.ngiq.asn.au/ and nurseryproductionfms.com.au/
Australian Governments - Energy Efficiency Communities Program
https://www.energy.gov.au/government-priorities/energy-programs/energy-efficient-communities-program
Energy Matters
https://www.energymatters.com.au/energy-efficiency/
Energy Efficiency in your Greenhouse
https://sites.google.com/site/greenhouseenergyefficiency/home
For further information contact:David Hunt
Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland07 3277 7900
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