Electricity conservation on
Ontario farms
Volume 4, Issue 2, Summer 2010
Energy-efficient fans blow cool
for dairy farming
Standing in the middle of Century Oak Farm’s
26,000-square-foot barn, with helicopter-size
blades silently whirling overhead and the
outside temperature above 30 C, Ontario dairy
farmer James Otto coolly points to cows
comfortably resting in their stalls.
Program (ERIP), says John Thomson, KitchenerWilmot Hydro’s supervisor of key accounts.
“ERIP is designed to encourage businesses like
Century Oak Farm to install high-efficiency electricity
retrofits in existing structures,” he says.
The high-efficiency fans can provide up to a 40percent reduction in energy costs, depending on
individual farm operations. “If you can save a kilowatt,
we can provide you with an incentive,” John says.
To increase awareness of ERIP, Kitchener-Wilmot
Hydro hosted information sessions for energyefficiency suppliers for all businesses, including the
agricultural community.
In addition, the 80,000-customer local distribution
company provides help to ERIP applicants in completing the application forms, verifying the installation
and providing the incentive payment directly to the
successful client. Ontario’s local distribution companies administer ERIP across the province.
New Hamburg dairy
farmer James Otto (r.)
with John Thomson
Kitchener Wilmot
Hydro.
“You can immediately feel the difference with the fans
on. High temperatures affect cows a lot more than it
does us,” he says. “It puts stress on the animals and
with their comfort affected, they are not as
productive.”
Since installing five 24-foot, high-efficiency ceiling
fans in his barns last year, the lower temperatures
have made the 150-cow milking herd more comfortable during hot weather, which has increased milk
production, James says. Four fans operate in the large
free-stall barn and one in the milking barn.
“The more comfortable my cows, the healthier they
are, the more they milk, the better they perform.”
James, along with his wife, Mary and son Michael,
own and operate Century Oak Farm in New
Hamburg, Ontario. The Otto family has farmed for
more than 130 years.
Because the ceiling fans are energy efficient and
reduce electricity demand, Century Oak Farm
received a $24,000 incentive under the Ontario
Power Authority’s Electricity Retrofit Incentive
Energy efficiency is a constant at Century Oak Farm,
James says. The Ottos moved to a more energy-efficient
dairy operation when they replaced an older closed
barn in 2004 with an open-sided natural-ventilation
structure. The new structure relies on temperaturecontrolled side curtains to increase air and light and
reduce the amount of electricity required.
When the naturally ventilated barn was being
planned, James considered installing high-efficiency
fans to further reduce the summer temperatures for
the cows, but the cost was outside his budget.
Conventional basket-style exhaust fans were an option;
but they are not as energy efficient nor as effective in
creating a more comfortable environment for the cows.
The Ottos decided against installing any fans.
“Every summer when the heat returns, we discussed
installing the high-efficiency fans. But the high cost
was always the barrier,” he says. Anticipating they
would eventually install the large fans, the barns’ roofs
were reinforced to support the fans’ weight.
Continued on page 4
1
Energy Efficient Fans take their
cue from the Humpback Whale
How can whales swimming in the ocean help
generate more energy from natural, renewable
sources such as wind?
Two Ontario-based companies believe whales can
help and have proven it. Toronto-based WhalePower
Corp. has spent five years testing and gathering data
to study whether a radically new type of turbine or
fan blade modeled after the flippers of humpback
whales – with rounded bumps known as tubercles
along the leading edge – performs much more efficiently than conventional, flat, straight-edged blades.
And Seaforth, Ont.-based Envira-North Systems Ltd.,
Canada’s largest supplier of industrial ceiling fans, has
incorporated the new blades into a new line of fans
that began shipment to customers in May 2009.
Envira-North Systems
has developed the
energy-efficient
Altra-Air industrial
fan, which has
blades modeled
after the flippers of
humpback whales.
“We were approached by WhalePower
with their tubercle-technology blade
design and, after reviewing the test
results, decided to take a chance,” says
Envira-North chief executive officer
Monica Bowden. “The result is our
new HVLS – for high-volume, lowspeed – Altra-Air industrial fan, for
use in large buildings such as factories,
warehouses, arenas, swimming pools and dairy barns,
where heating, cooling and air circulation are
especially important for the health of the animals.”
Customer interest in the new fan’s design has been
strong, Bowden says, and will likely grow exponentially as early customers report improvements in
efficiency and reductions in energy costs. “We
estimate that the HLVS Altra-Air will pay for itself
within six months – or sooner – from the reduction
in electricity costs,” Bowden says.
“In fact, one customer reduced energy costs by
$100,000 in the first six months, which was more
than twice the cost of the fans installed.” The market
for industrial fans in North America is in the
$100-million range, she adds.
WhalePower says that the advantages of the HLVS
fan design add up to a remarkable technological
breakthrough. The largest model, 24 feet in diameter,
uses five blades versus the conventional 10, yet the
five blades are 25 percent more aerodynamically
efficient than the traditional 10-blade configuration.
And they not only circulate more air, but they also do
it more quietly. Blade noise is reduced to less than 20
percent of that made by stock fans, with less vibration
of the blades, which reduces blade failure from metal
The fan blades feature tubercles along their leading edge,
which dramatically increase their aerodynamic efficiency.
fatigue and also less wear and tear on the fan motor
and gearbox. And the lower number of blades
reduces material and manufacturing costs, allowing
Envira-North to price the new fans competitively
with traditional models. HVLS fan also consume 20
percent less electricity than conventional types. HVLS
fans for agricultural applications are eligible for
incentives through the OPA’s Electricity Retrofit
Incentive Program and the High Performance New
Construction Program.
Stephen Dewar, vice-president of business affairs,
director of research and development and a
co-founder of WhalePower, says that the company
designed precisely formed versions of the “bumps”
along the leading edges of the whales’ flippers, which
combine the sciences of both fluid dynamics and
biomechanics. According to Dewar, “the bumps or
tubercles along the leading edge of their flippers
dramatically increase their aerodynamic efficiency.”
The OPA’s Technology Development Fund and the
Ontario Centres of Excellence contributed $70,000
to windpower research using tubercle blades at the
Wind Energy Institute of Canada. The results, Dewar
says, showed a 20-percent increase in power generation and an 80-percent reduction in noise and vibration, which should translate into lower maintenance
costs. These results, Dewar believes, will lead to
dramatically increased efficiency of wind turbines and
change the economics of wind-powered electricity
generation on both a large and small scale.
A number of technical, manufacturing, warranty and
other issues will need to be resolved before tubercle
blades for wind turbines, fans, compressors and other
applications can achieve their maximum potential. Yet
as they are adopted, the whale-inspired technology
may be one of those breakthroughs the world needs,
just when we need it.
Note: The OPA does not endorse or guarantee any
specific product or service.
2
Haldimand County Hydro
knew the barn was too warm, and when I
heard about these new fans, I thought they
would be a better solution to buying more
box fans. We wired them in last November,
and when we had hot weather early in May,
I saw how effective they are. I’m really
happy with them.”
Photo of the farmer, Howard Strobosser and Jane Albert, Haldimand County Hydro consumer
services manager.
Energy-efficient
ventilation saves money,
boosts production
When hot weather arrived in early
May, Howard Strobosser had 100 of
the coolest Holstein cows in town,
thanks to his decision to participate
in an incentive program that helped
him reduce electricity costs and
increase milk production on his
Jarvis, Ontario dairy farm.
The Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program
(ERIP) is designed to encourage agricultural businesses to conserve energy with the
help of financial incentives. ERIP is funded
by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), delivered through participating local distribution
companies (LDCs) across Ontario and is
designed to encourage the replacement of
old lighting, heating and cooling systems
with energy-efficient technologies.
In the agricultural sector, ERIP focuses on
equipment such as lighting, heating, swine
creep heat and controls, livestock waterers
and ventilation. The program offers a
set list of technologies that have a corresponding per-unit or performance-based
savings and are ideal for equipment
replacements or upgrades. The program
also offers a custom-option track that
allows farmers to select technologies
based on their specific needs and
calculates incentives based on how much
they improve energy efficiency.
For the nearly 5,000 dairy farmers in
Ontario, keeping cows cool and comfortable year-round is a big part of a
successful dairy operation. By applying for
an ERIP incentive to offset the cost of new
ventilation in his 18,000-square-foot,
five-year-old barn, Strobosser was able to
install three 24-inch energy efficient fans
that move more air than dozens of smaller,
less efficient fans. In fact, just one of these
fans is equivalent to 56 24-inch highvelocity fans, or 30 36-inch ceiling fans.
In addition to saving an estimated 60
kilowatts (kW) of electricity per year and
recouping his initial investment in roughly
two years, the cooler and more consistent
temperatures in his barn will help optimize
his herd’s milk production. And that’s the
bottom line at Strodale Farms, where
Howard, his wife, Amanda, and children
Erin, age eleven, and Kyle, age nine, are a
third-generation dairy farming family. “We
have a lot of fun here,” says Amanda.
While farmers know that keeping electricity
costs down is integral to good farm management, many are unsure about the affordability or timing of efficiency retrofits –
especially in challenging economic times.
For Strobosser, the ERIP incentives available
for his installation were a critical factor in
his decision to install the high-volume,
low-speed Altra-Air fan which utilizes some
of the most innovative commercial ventilation technology on the market today.
Like most other types of energy-efficient
fans, the Altra-Air fan produces dramatically
less noise and consumes much less energy
than traditional models. Altra-Air is just one
of the many kinds of energy-efficient fans
that qualify for ERIP incentives.
The Strobossers’ application was administered by Haldimand County Hydro, which
works with farmers who are interested in
participating in the ERIP program. Jane
Albert, Haldimand County Hydro consumer
services manager, visited their farm recently
to deliver a cheque for $14,913.
“Haldimand County Hydro is proud to
support our agricultural customers’ efforts
to increase their energy efficiency with the
help of the Ontario Power Authority’s
Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program,” she
says. “Mr. Strobosser has made a significant
investment in his dairy production with
these fans and by doing so has demonstrated his commitment to energy conservation,
as well as his desire to ensure his livestock
are comfortable.”
For more information about the ERIP
program and to download application
forms, visit
www.business.everykilowattcounts.ca, or
contact your local distribution company.
“My grandparents came from Holland to
start up this farm,” Howard adds. “My dad
kept it going, and I’ve farmed all my life. I
3
Energy-efficient fans blow cool
for dairy farming
Continued from page 1
James then learned of the ERIP incentives for the high-efficiency ceiling fans through a vendor who had attended
one of the Kitchener-Wilmot information sessions. Less than a week after making the application, KitchenerWilmot Hydro pre-approved the installation, Mr. Thomson says.
“Without the incentive from ERIP, we would not have installed the fans,” James says. “The incentive was the
solution to the problem.”
The ceiling fans move more air using less electricity than conventional exhaust fans and as a result cost less to
operate. Each of the fans has a two-horsepower motor and, working together, they move two million cubic feet
of air per minute.
As energy costs rise, farm businesses will become more focused on installing more efficient equipment, James says.
“It’s getting more and more important as the price of energy goes up. If there is an incentive for choosing a more
efficient energy technology over a less costly and less efficient one, we will choose the more energy-efficient
equipment.”
But the decision must be economically justifiable, James says, adding he normally expects a four- to five-year payback on equipment. “I am not going to pay twice as much to get the same thing because of a small energy savings.
“As much as I am green, I still have to run a business. The incentive makes investing in more energy-efficient
technology a realistic business decision.”
For information about the Ontario Power Authority’s ERIP incentive program, see
www.business.everykilowattcounts.ca.
Planning to build a new livestock building?
Build it green and reap the rewards.
If you’re about to build a new livestock building, you owe it to
yourself to check out the High Performance New Construction
(HPNC) Program. It’s likely you could reap substantial benefits.
Visit hpnc.ca to find out how you can make your project qualify.
Download the agribusiness worksheet to instantly see your potential
incentive amount. Not only is it easier than you think—it can make your
new livestock building healthier and more profitable for years to come.
If your building is in Ontario, contact us today.
For more information call
1-888-OPA-HPNC or visit www.hpnc.ca
Applications available online.
Electricity conservation on Ontario farms is produced by the Ontario Power Authority to provide information about energy conservation and efficiency and innovative
applications to help Ontario farmers better manage their electricity costs. This publication, available online at www.powerauthority.on.ca, examines a variety of technologies
and best practices that improve farming operations and reduce energy costs. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. To have your name added to the mailing list,
send an e-mail note to info@powerauthority.on.ca.