Heating Symposium Emphasizes Efficiency

By Greenhouse Grower staff|September 9, 2009

Modine Manufacturing Company produces heating systems for an assortment of industries, including automotives and schools. Modine is also a greenhouse heating systems manufacturer, and top of mind for the company’s leaders in all units it manufactures is energy efficiency.

As part of an energy-efficiency symposium last week, Modine invited three public officials to present on the importance of energy efficiency. Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton was one official on hand, and she called energy efficiency a high priority for greenhouse growers.

“Energy efficiency is the first essential step toward [reversing] global warming,” she says.

Lawton also mentioned Wisconsin is trying to initiate retrofit heating efficiency loans for users of energy-efficient heating systems like Modine’s new Effinity93 gas-fired unit heater and similar products on the market.

Another official, Rich Hackner of Focus On Energy Wisconsin, emphasized the cost savings growers will see if they take energy efficiency seriously. Seventy to 80 percent of all energy growers use, Hackner says, is heat. Ten to 15 percent is electric, and 5 to 10 percent is made up between diesel and another transportation fuel. More efficient products, such as more modern gas-fired unit heaters some growers use, can at least result in some cost savings spent on heat.