SOURCE: Questline

What are the biggest energy users on dairy farms?

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) performed a series of energy audits of dairy operations. According to those results, electrical energy use for a dairy farm breaks down as like this:

• Milk cooling - 25%
• Lighting - 24%
• Ventilation - 22%
• Vacuum pumps - 17%
• Miscellaneous equipment (feeding, manure handling and so on) - 8%
• Water heating - 4%

The most frequently recommended energy conservation measures resulting from the audits included:

1. Use variable frequency drives on vacuum pumps. They save energy by matching pump motor speed to vacuum needs.
2. Install inline plate cooler to pre-cool the milk before it enters the bulk tank. This can reduce electric costs for cooling by up to 50%.
3. Replace existing fluorescent and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting with higher efficiency LEDs.
4. Install a refrigeration heat recovery system to reduce water heating costs.

For more information, see Top Energy Savers: What Consumers Can Learn from Dairy Producers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.