Farmers pinch pennies to cut costs wherever they can, but they might be missing opportunities to save. In many cases, old, inefficient equipment is the reason for high energy costs.

Gabriel Gurley manages Ag Energy New York, a Cornell Cooperative Extension program that addresses energy efficiency in agricultural production. The program started in 2020 and is based in CCE Tompkins, but works with Extension offices throughout the state.

“The program started as part of a grant that was provided by NYSERDA [New York State Energy Research and Development Authority] through the Energy Best Practices for Agriculture,” said Gurley. “We work throughout the state, and our core mission is to work alongside CCE educators, farm service providers and farmers to improve energy efficiencies.”

The program develops educational content and outreach programs and provides information on energy efficiency options for Empire State farmers.

The program gives farmers a better understanding of their farm energy use through evaluating efficient technologies, considering alternative modes of operation and initiating practices that optimize energy use.

The program’s no-cost energy audit allows farmers to arrange an assessment of the entire farm or for specific segments of the operation. After the energy audit process, a farm owner can adopt part or all the recommendations in the audit and continue to make improvements on the farm.

“Once you’ve had an energy audit, you can request another free energy audit within about three years,” said Gurley. “As production changes, you may want an energy audit review two or three years later to keep up with energy efficiencies to help reduce utility costs.”

Gurley said while the program has focused on energy efficiencies, it’s recently expanded to offer information on solar to farmers who are considering on-farm solar for their own use or co-signing for solar development on their farm.

Adam Boese, owner of Daylight Savings Company and a primary energy consultant for NYSERDA, provided more information on the Farm Energy Audit Program, which falls under NYSERDA funding called Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech). This program offers free farm energy audits as well as programs for free or partially funded commercial and industrial purposes.

The Farm Energy Audit Program begins with a site visit. “We meet with the farmer and look at the bills,” said Boese. “Is the farmer getting the best rate? Are there taxes that shouldn’t be on the bill? Or are there other components of the bill that might be changed? Then we look at general information that goes across all farms. Most farms have well pumps, so we look at the energy used by those to reduce energy use. We also look at lighting, space heating, space cooling, water heating, engine block heaters – anything that uses energy – and try to find ways those items can be used differently or a low-cost option to reduce energy costs.”

In some cases, Boese said timed clocks, additional switches or controls are the answer. “We also look at site-specific things such as a farm with heavy use of refrigeration,” he said. “Perhaps it’s a beef farm that might have chest or walk-in refrigeration and freezers, or a vegetable farm. On dairy farms we look at bulk tank refrigeration, how efficient the equipment is or maybe options to switch out with Energy Star® equipment. Perhaps compressors can be replaced with high-efficiency scroll compressors.”

The audit also looks at ventilation systems, especially on dairy farms where barn ventilation is a major energy user. In some cases, new fans will be more efficient and provide better cooling for animals. Milk harvesting equipment, including vacuum pumps, is another significant energy user on dairy farms.

Motors with variable frequency drives can help reduce energy use. “Many motors don’t need the full power for the job they’re installed for,” Boese said. “A variable speed drive will adjust the speed of the motor and reduce the energy used in the motor to match the need at the time. This is large savings for an affordable installation.”

The energy audit also examines big ticket items such as ground source heat pumps for space heating or domestic hot water and standard heat pumps. “These are pricey but have a very good payback and have a significant impact on energy use on the farm,” said Boese. “Some farms have livestock waterers with built-in heaters for winter. We can evaluate waterers and look at refrigeration to see if heat can be recovered from refrigerators and used for water heating. On dairy farms, we look at the amount of water being used onsite from refrigeration – perhaps there’s a way to pre-cool the milk before it enters the bulk tank for storage.”

There’s a lot of engine use on the farm including tractors, skid steers, mowers, ATVs/UTVs, pressure washers and log splitters. In some cases, there are affordable electric alternatives for these items. Boese said payback on these items is fairly quick – sometimes three to five years.

Some farmers need an energy audit to take advantage of incentives and tax credits and to access grants such as REAP. “There is no obligation,” Boese said. “The installation is on the farmer, but we coordinate the implementation if the farmer needs help.”

New York farmers are signing up for the audit program because it’s free and has the potential to save money. Boese said energy contractors are required by NYSERDA to provide a comprehensive audit and a thorough report, including calculations and equipment lists, how much energy is used, provide good predictions of cost of implementation and how much energy can be saved.

It’s important to have an energy audit and create a plan before equipment is broken or otherwise unusable. “Things always break,” said Boese. “By making a free energy audit before something needs to be replaced, you have time to think about cost, options and potential savings. The report can be used as a resource to come up with a plan to replace equipment. It’s a great tool farmers can keep on standby when they’re thinking about equipment and making plans.”

The program website includes case studies that allow farmers to see how other New York farmers have taken advantage of the energy audit process. Information includes steps farmers have taken to obtain grants and/or loans as well as outcomes.

Learn more about the program at agenergyny.org.

by Sally Colby