Even though energy savings have recently been proposed for farmers, electrical costs are still a priority for producers.
A recent trend to help farmers save on hydro has been converting barns to LED bulbs.
Gary Schmidt of Smart Energy Lighting in Hanover says making the switch from incandescent can lead to two-thirds reduction in energy costs.
He notes increasing light levels can lead to increases of other sorts.
"If you want to focus on the dairy industry in particular, there have been all kinds of studies that show by bringing the light levels up to the proper level in dairy barns it increases milk production," says Schmidt. "These are long term studies conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and U.S. bodies as well."
Schmidt adds energy incentives are still available and can be combined to maximize savings.
Further details on how farmers can reduce energy costs can be found at saveonenergy.ca.
