Save money and energy on your farm.
Efficiency Vermont provides standard rebates to Vermont agricultural facilities for installing Heat Recovery Units, Plate Coolers, Variable Speed Milk Transfer Systems (VSMT), and Variable Frequency Drive Controllers (VFD) on Milk Vacuum Pumps and Maple Sap Vacuum Pumps.
Heat Recovery Units use the heat from the bulk tank system's compressor to pre-heat water. Most dairy farms with 35 cows or more can benefit from using an HRU to preheat hot water, reducing hot water expenses by up to 50%.
Plate coolers consists of several stainless steel plates and uses cold well water to pre-cool milk before it goes into a bulk tank. By using plate coolers, dairy farms with more than 75 cows could save up to 50% on milk-cooling costs.
A VSMT consists of a variable speed pump and controller that regulates or slows down the milk flow through the plate cooler. A VSMT system can result in milk that is the same temperature as cold well water (an average of 50 degrees). The milk then goes into the bulk tank and is mechanically cooled down by compressors to 38 degrees.
VFDs control milk vacuum pump motors by varying the speed in line with the load while maintaining the necessary vacuum levels for milking. Dairy farms with 50 cows or more could save 40-55% of milk vacuum pump costs by using VFD controls.
Many maple sugaring operations run sap vacuum pumps 24 hours per day during sugaring season. One way to manage the pump’s electrical use is by adding a VFD control system to the maple sap vacuum pump, which controls the pump motors by varying the speed in line with the load.
Brighten your farm buildings while saving money.
Energy-efficient lighting helps create brighter, safer workspaces, while lowering energy costs. New energy-efficient linear (tube) fluorescent lighting saves an average farm 25-50% per year on lighting energy costs, and outdoor LED fixtures use 75% less energy than incandescent.
Efficiency Vermont provides standard rebates to Vermont agricultural facilities for installing exterior LED fixtures and new vapor proof linear fluorescent fixtures. Vapor proof fixtures keep out moisture, dust, and bugs, and can be hosed down for cleaning. Receiving these rebates can be as simple as filling out a form and sending it in with your proof(s) of purchase.
Custom rebates and technical assistance may also be available for lighting and equipment not on our rebate forms.