When it comes to greenhouse energy saving, there are some really good ways to save energy in the home greenhouse. Here are a few of the easier ones.
Crop shelter has end walls removed for easy summer ventilation
Reduce Air Leaks
Seriously, if air can blow in, then it’s blowing out somewhere. So figure this out and plug up the leaking areas. Tossing some very fine dust into the air next to walls will quickly show you the direction of wind currents within the greenhouse. 🙂
Keep your doors closed
Open and close them quickly and use those cottage screen door spring kits to force them closed quickly if you
walk through carrying stuff).
Weatherstrip
Do this to all doors, vents and particularly the fan openings. Those fans are heat leaks of a huge magnitude. I’d plastic over the entire fan housing to stop any leaks and installed a very small fan for winter ventilation.
Lubricate and adjust the louvers so they close
tightly.
Pro growers know how much air one of these things lets in/out so they watch them carefully. This is true on both the inlet and outlet louvers (the ones protecting the exhaust fans)
Shut the power off to your home hobby greenhouse fan
Seriously, many folks leave it on for the winter. Don’t.
Also cover the opening with insulation and/or plastic to eliminate air infiltration.
Repair broken fibreglass or holes
Use proper covering repair material to fix any small rips or tears in the plastic covering.
Line all upright sidewalls and endwalls with bubble wrap
This saves a surprising amount of heat. If the sunlight can’t get in on top of the crop, cover anything below the benches for a goodly amount of greenhouse energy saving.
Infrared Inhibitor Poly
If you have a large enough greenhouse to buy commercial rolls of plastic, even if you use it all up over several years, try using the special poly with the infrared inhibitor instead of normal poly. It will save the extra cost in a few short months of winter heating.
If you have an older greenhouse with fibreglass
Add a single layer of plastic to reduce infiltration and heat loss by 50%.
Thermal Blankets
Save 20%-50% by installing a thermal blanket – particularly over the crop at night for added protection. If you already have one, make sure the closures between the sidewalls, framing etc is tight and as leak-proof as possible.
Insulate Water Lines
If you have water lines in the greenhouse, insulate them. This may stop them from freezing and help keep the water warm for the plants.
Insulate Inner and Outer Foundations
Insulate the inner and/or outer greenhouse foundation with 1-2″ thick polyurethane or polystyrene board. Bury it 18-inches below ground level. You might see an increase in the soil temperature near the sidewall by 10 degrees F and this is going to save you money for sure.
Insulate the inner kneewall or sidewall
Do this to the bottom of your benches with a 2-inch foam board. Insulate from the ground to bench height.
Those greenhouse energy saving suggestions are going to reduce your energy consumption considerably in your backyard or home greenhouse.
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