Having a third party conduct an energy usage audit of your dairy could save you a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.
And the audits usually can be done for little or no cost, says Alison McKechie, director of sustainability projects for Dairy Management, Inc.'s Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
The Innovation Center, with the help of EnSave, Inc., has already trained 55 auditors in Florida, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. More auditors will be trained in another six states by early next year.
Some improvements might be as simple as changing the daily chore routine or starting up motors at different times so as not to trigger high peak-use rates. The resulting savings can be substantial, from $50 per month on smaller dairies to several hundred dollars on large farms.
Bonus content:
More on saving energy:
U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment
