ENERGY-EFFICIENT HEAT PADS

A COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS

Switching from heat lamps to energy-efficient heat pads is proving to offer many benefits for agricultural operations — especially when it comes to cutting energy costs. By providing incentives on heat pads, we’re helping to offset the upfront cost, making the upgrade more affordable for Manitoba’s agricultural operators. By making the switch, you’ll see a reduction in your monthly energy bills alongside safer, more effective heating for your livestock.

In this article, you’ll learn more about the many benefits of heat pads in agricultural operations and how we helped a large hog barn in Manitoba successfully upgrade their traditional heat lamps to heat pads, receive an impressive incentive, and significantly reduce their long-term electricity costs.

HEAT LAMPS: THE DOWNSIDES

Heat lamps are a traditional, widely used technology to keep livestock warm. However, with advancements in other heating technologies, they’re no longer the most effective option — and the downsides are hard to ignore.

The most obvious disadvantage is the amount of energy heat lamps use. They produce heat in a small, concentrated area, rendering them inefficient and resulting in wasted heat. As a result, agricultural producers can see lamps contribute substantially to their electricity costs, especially when they’re being operated on a continuous basis.

The health and comfort of your livestock is a top priority, but heat lamps can serve as an impediment. The concentrated heat they provide can lead to hot and cold spots and can dry out the surrounding air. The light produced from heat lamps also contributes to light pollution, which can cause disruptions to the sleep cycles of your livestock.

Heat lamps even pose some safety concerns. They can cause fires if placed in close proximity to flammable materials and are prone to breaking.

Luckily, there’s an alternative to heat lamps that serves as a safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient solution.

HEAT PADS: THE ENERGY-EFFICIENT SOLUTION

Heat pads are an effective and efficient alternative to more traditional heat lamps. Instead of relying on overhead heat and risking the inefficiencies resulting from heat dissipation, heat pads provide uniform under-body heat for larger areas.

The benefits of heat pads are numerous. Here are just a few:

• They’re more energy efficient than heat lamps. By providing heat to targeted areas, less heat is wasted, resulting in a more efficient use of electricity and lower energy bills as a result.
• The temperature is more easily regulated, making heat more targeted and uniform. This is especially true for models that come with temperature regulation controls to heat specific areas, avoiding unnecessary electricity consumption in areas that don’t require heat in any particular moment.
• They require less maintenance, thereby reducing costs associated with repairs and replacement.
• While heat lamps can dry out the air, heat pads help to retain moisture, contributing to a more comfortable and productive microenvironment.
• The risk of fire when compared to heat lamps is reduced significantly.

These benefits do come at a cost; heat pads are more expensive to purchase upfront than heat lamps. But the long-term electricity and bill savings that arise from operating heat pads help offset this cost — and we have incentives to make the decision to upgrade easier and more cost effective.

UPGRADE TO HEAT PADS, GET AN INCENTIVE

One of the ways we’re helping agricultural producers enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency is by offering incentives on heat pads.

Through our Custom Energy Solutions Program, we provide eligible agricultural producers an incentive of $75 per crate for heat pad installations. Our team makes participating simple and will work with you throughout the entire process, from assisting with paperwork to providing your incentive in a timely manner. You’ll benefit from the financial incentive to offset a portion of the initial cost of purchasing your heat pads, plus you’ll save on your energy bills for years into the future.

Here’s how we helped one customer experience the benefits of heat pads with financial and expert support.

PROJECT FEATURE: PROROCK GENETICS

Prorock Genetics operates a large hog barn near St. Andrews. To improve the efficiency of their operations, they decided it was time to upgrade their traditional heat lamps to more energy-efficient heat pads. Peter Regier, Project Manager at Prorock Genetics, knew to check Efficiency Manitoba first and see if they could support their project.

“Efficiency Manitoba was a great help right from the start,” Peter said. “They were responsive and attentive, and they told me my project was eligible for incentives. It made perfect sense to move forward.”

Prorock Genetics engaged a contractor to install heat pads in 336 crates in their farrowing barn and is expected to reduce their electricity use by 323,820 kWh every year. This translates into energy bills savings of over $24,200 annually.

Our Custom Energy Solutions Program also paid Prorock Genetics $75 for each of their 336 crates, resulting in a total incentive of $25,200.

“Between the money we’re saving on our energy bills and the incentive we got from Efficiency Manitoba, upgrading to heat pads made good financial sense for our barn. We’re also spending less on maintenance since we don’t have to replace heat lamps every year. At about $10 a lamp multiplied by all the lamps we used to have, we’ve eliminated a huge chunk of maintenance costs.”
— Peter Regier, Project Manager at Prorock Genetics

Including the $25,200 incentive and other non-energy benefits, the project’s payback calculates to 1.7 years. That means the heat pad upgrade will pay for itself in less than two years. From there, it’s a future of pure savings — on electricity use, maintenance costs, and energy bills — for Prorock Genetics.

START SAVING ENERGY TODAY

All Manitobans should be able to access energy efficiency upgrades, and we’re making it possible with our financial incentives and technical expertise. We have a diverse suite of offers for homeowners, renters, businesses, industrial facilities, communities, and agricultural producers, so everyone can save energy, money, and the environment.

Whether you’re ready to install energy-efficient heat pads in your barn or you have another project in mind for your agricultural business, we’re here to help!