Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Midwest Commercial Swine Facilities.

Consumers are demanding increased sustainability and reduced carbon emissions within agricultural systems. However, fossil fuel consumption data within pork production systems is scarce. The objective of this study was to measure total electricity and heating fuel use and determine specific areas of high consumption in commercial swine barns. Data were collected from six commercial swine barns representative of typical Midwest production systems: two breed-to-wean barns, two nursery barns, and two finishing barns. Electricity and propane use were monitored across calendar years 2015 and 2016. Multiple electric loads were monitored on the barn side of the electric utility meter to reveal areas of highest usage. Within production phase and across years, the mean and standard deviation in consumption of electricity and propane were calculated on a per pig produced basis (Table 1). Electricity and propane usage ranged from 11.32 to 11.91 kWh and 1.17 to 1.29 L, respectively, in breed-to-wean barns despite large differences in annual pig production (29,200 pigs). Heat lamps used the highest proportion of total electricity in both breed-to-wean barns. Electricity and propane usage ranged from 2.10 to 2.38 kWh and 1.55 to 1.63 L, respectively, in nursery barns despite an annual production difference of 50,000 pigs. Ventilation accounted for the largest proportion of the total electricity used by each nursery. Total amounts of electricity used to produce one market pig ranged from 4.12 kWh (curtain-sided barn) to 14.40 kWh (tunnel-ventilated barn). Propane use ranged from 1.85 (curtain-sided) to 1.29 L (tunnel-ventilated). Despite barn design differences, ventilation was the largest user of electricity during finishing. Based on this study, heat lamps in breed-to-wean barns and ventilation systems across all three phases of pork production were the most significant users of electricity. Improving the efficiency of these electrical loads should provide opportunities to improve the carbon footprint and sustainability of pork production systems.

Table 1. Electricity and propane used to produce one pig from each phase
	Phase
Usage	Breed-to-Wean	Nursery	Finishing
Propane, L/pig	1.23 ± 0.06	1.59 ± 0.04	1.59 ± 0.26
Electricity, kWh/pig	11.60 ± 0.3	2.24 ± 0.14	9.26 ± 5.14
Electricity, % of total used a:
Heat lamps	46.0	NAb	NA
Ventilation	18.0	39.3	64.5
Lights	3.5	2.5	1.5
Heaters	0.5	5.5	1.0
Feed system	1.0	2.5	7.5
Well	1.0	2.0	8.0
a Includes six largest electrical loads in each phase. bNot applicable.

Funding provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.