Smart ventilation cuts energy use in the poultry house

Round-the-clock air conditioning is indispensable in large poultry houses. Even a small variation in the temperature and humidity level can compromise healthy growth from day-old chicken to slaughter. So a lot of energy goes in to maintaining the perfect indoor climate – particularly in countries where outdoor conditions reach the extremes.

That is why Danish ventilation system supplier SKOV decided to test the energy-saving capacity of a new fan on a broiler farm just outside Brisbane, Australia where the summers are both hot and humid. The farm belongs to a long-standing customer with a series of identical houses, each one containing the same poultry breed and employing the same feed and management tools.

SKOV replaced the existing fans in one of the houses with the new BF 50 BlueFan. Due to the higher ventilation capacity, the number of fans could be reduced from 16 to 13. Comparative tests were then run over five broiler batches. The results were clear and the conditions inside the house remained optimal throughout.

BF 50 reduced energy consumption for ventilation by up to 50 percent   

Such an energy-saving improvement means the return-on-investment time can be as little as two years, depending on electricity prices, climatic conditions and other producer-specific factors. The overall rewards are lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions into the environment.