Design & Engineering Services
Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency Guide
This guidebook studies energy utilization on a modern California dairy farm, including discussions of techniques to effectively manage energy costs.
The goal of this guide is to increase the understanding of how electric energy is used, provide a measure for comparison, and explore available opportunities for conservation on a modern dairy farm.
Opportunities for significant energy savings exist that allow dairymen options to better control their energy costs. For example, adding a variable speed drive (VSD) to a vacuum pump will reduce energy use by 50% or more, with no loss of milking system performance. Although not all options for energy savings available are this dramatic, their cumulative impact can help improve dairy farm profitability.
Seven major electric energy use categories found on California dairies are the focus of this guide:
- Milk Harvest
- Milk Cooling
- Lighting
- Circulation & Ventilation
- Washing & Water Heating
- Water Systems
- Compressed Air Systems
Electric Energy Use on a Representative California Dairy Farm
| Category |
Percentage |
| Air Circulation |
10% |
| Compressed Air |
4% |
| Lighting |
13% |
| Milk Cooling |
27% |
| Milk Harvest |
12% |
| Waste Handling |
24% |
| Water Systems |
8% |
| Miscellaneous |
2% |
View a graph of the table above.
This pie chart shows the distribution of electric energy use on a representative diary farm in California.
The individual sections of the guide offer a comprehensive examination of:
- Purpose and function of energy use for that category.
- Description and discussion of typical equipment employed.
- Development of an Energy Utilization Index (EUI) to provide a benchmark for comparison of energy use.
- Describe and explain Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) that can be implemented to use energy more effectively.
- Provide a series of basic field testing procedures and measures that can be used to maintain equipment at peak operating.