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For dairy farmers considering replacing an existing old vacuum pump or where new dairy units are required, energy efficiency should be really front of mind. The great news is that, following the success of last year’s pilot grant scheme, SEAI will next week launch its dairy farm grants. The grant reduces the financial burden on farmers who are upgrading their vacuum pump or milk pump systems.
Size matters
It provides an ideal opportunity for farmers to liaise with equipment manufacturers and select the most energy-efficient pump type available for the upgrade. While it's difficult to justify replacement on energy savings alone, particularly on small farms, the incentive helps to alleviate the costs involved.
Once the farm size goes up to 250 to 300 cows or over, that’s when the large savings are made and then the farmer can justify the complete replacement on energy savings alone. It is not surprising, therefore, that the average farm size in the 2017 pilot was over 200 cows producing in the region of one million litres or over per annum. At this scale, the annual saving would be about €2,500.
Variable speed drives
Because of the reduced electrical consumption, the higher initial purchase cost of an alternative with variable speed drive (VSD) controls can be recouped over time due to the electricity savings they offer.
Additional benefits include lower maintenance costs due to reduced run hours and reduced oil usage. Many farmers also cite the significantly lower noise levels as very beneficial.
The milk pump VSD grant will also be available in the next round of funding to improve efficiency of existing plate coolers. The VSD and control unit on the milk pump will help to maximise the cooling efficiency of a plate cooler and so reduces the electrical load on the bulk tank mechanical cooling, thus saving electricity.
One farmer who received grant support last year said he was constantly checking his milk cooler as the unit was not operating when he expected it to be and he thought it might be broken when all along the plate cooler with new controls was now providing most of the cooling.
What are the grant levels for 2018?
Recognising the fact that the financial return is not as good on smaller farms using single-phase electricity, the SEAI has increased the funding by €500 to €5,000 for this category.
The SEAI has also introduced a separate grant for instances where a farmer might, for example, have a new vacuum pump and so does not want a complete system replacement. This grant will cover the retrofitting of existing systems with an inverter only.
As not all vacuum pumps are capable of operating effectively at slow speeds, this will need to be checked with the pump supplier first.
Any farmer interested should phone SEAI on 01-8082-100, email busness@seai.ie or check the SEAI website at www.seai.ie/grants to download the guides and forms from 28 May 2018.
Correction – a case study published in the Irish Farmers Journal last December suggested the investment would be repaid in three years. According to updated figures from the SEAI, it would take 13 years to recoup the investment in the case studied with a single-phase installation.
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