Reducing energy costs on your piggery

Understanding energy in pig production covers a number of topics including how to monitor energy use, understanding electricity tariffs and provides heating, pumping, lighting and ventilation benchmark data.

The manual also discusses potential alternative energy sources for Australian piggeries.

Value for producers:

• Producers who implement the information outlined in the manual will be able to better understand, compare, analyse and determine measures to reduce or improve their energy consumption.
• This aids in reducing energy costs and in producing more environmentally sustainable pork.

Recommendations:

• Measuring actual energy consumed by equipment in the piggery can assist in reducing energy bills.
• Biogas and solar have the potential to reduce electricity bills.
• The largest energy consumer in piggery sheds is the heating of farrowing sheds and crates.
• Pumping water uses an average of 10 per cent of total farm energy.