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Page Wednesday October 30 IMS Conserving Energy Energy management on the farm Every year Canadian farms produce more food the challenge is do so while consuming less energy Last year Cana dian farmers put food on our table and at the same time exported billion worth of products In farmers spent SI 2 billion on energy With rising energy prices energy account for an increasing part of farm overhead Cutting energy costs is crit ical to our continued com- where real gains can be made Research is reveal ing new practices that can reduce energy use and confirming the value many existing practice farmers arc using to lower heir energy bills The Saskatchewan government and Energy Mines and Resources Canada set up a farm energy management pro gram in to study Saskatchewan farms A wide range of types and sues of farms was chosen throughout the province Farmers were asked to monitor all energy use in the farmhouse the barns and on the land Meters were put on all gasoline fuel storage tanks Log books were kept to record quan tities consumed equip ment used and the job performed at each refuel ing The amount of heating fuel and electric ity used was calculated from invoices Fuel use was divided into three categories production hauling fertilizer harvesting and hauling crops grinding feed handling and haul ing manure clearing land picking rocks transportation fuel used for and trucks and other fuel used for such equipment as gar den tractors snow mobiles lawn mowers all terra in vehicles A research team of engineers agricultural economists and energy analysts worked with each farmer to assess the infor mation and come up with ways to cut costs and increase crop yields The solutions arc not new or magical sensible Using the appropri ate machine for any given job yields real energy sav ings Machines perform most efficiently when they are cleaned and tuned properly They can be used more efficiently if the depth of tillage is reduced if field working patterns are unproved and if the land is simply tilled less frequently Less tilling has the side benefit of reduc ing moisture lost and soil erosion The same principles apply to multiuse vehi cles The halfton pickup is not appropriate for small shopping expedi tions Keeping all vehicles properly tuned and tires at the maximum recom mended pressure improves fuel economy Timers allow engine block healers be used for two or three hours in the morning rather than all night At harvest time the energy conserving farmer leaves si rips of tall stubble to hold the snow on field this improves the soils moisture content and crop yield Nitrogen fertilizers produced by using large quantities of natural gas are expensive Many farm ers rotate legumes other crops adding sig nificant amounts of nitro gen and organic matter to the soil This practice known as green manuring can reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer costs Narrower cultivator tines move more easily through the soil requir ing less energy and creat ing less wear on the equipment lust likeother home owners farm families are saving energy by turning down the thermostat maintaining their healing systems lowering the tem perature setting on the hot water heater using less hot water turning off unnec essary lights reinsulating sealing cracks Wind breaks can be planted to shelter the home and farm buildings In the barns the farmer can make lure the healing and ventilation systems are not compet ing Thermostats fans and motors must be kept and clean if they are to func tion efficiently Lighting can be reduced The success of this program Is pointing the way Improved energy efficiency If the steps identified were taken by all Saskatchewan farmers the total energy bill could be cut by as much as to per cent The Canadian Farm Energy Management Task Force is another organiza tion promoting energy conservation on the farm The task force provides farm organizations with audiovisual and brochure material farm energy he of work shops and coordinates an informa tion exchange The task force can be contacted through provincial agri cultural organizations Replacing windows for energy savings Thinking about replacing some of the windows in your home Whether doing it for aesthetic reasons or to save on your energy bills following factors in mind so that the win dows you purchase will help put money back in your pocket During the winter large areas of glass can alternately chill and over heat a room In Ihc summer overheating is frequently a problem Asinglepaneof glass has an RSI value of about which means that it loses about lOlo times as much heat as the same area of properly insulated wall Heal transfer through windows is affected by the number of layers of glass or glazing material the amount of air space between the layers and the thermal the frame and sash materials Storm windows or double glazing will cut the heal loss through single- glazed windows almost in half but in many parts of Canada triple glazing is worthwhile particularly for northfacing windows Both double- and tripleglazed units arc available factory sealed with dry air spaces between the panes ranging from mm IS mm Seals arc usually guaran teed for 5 to years the seal breaks moisture may leak into the unit and accumulate between the Triple glazmg can also be achieved by install ing a sealed doubleglazed unit and protecting it from the elements by attaching a storm window outside But remember avoid condensation problems it is important that the inner panes be more tightly sealed than the outer pane In the coldest regions of the country a system of triple glazing will pay for itself in decreased fuel bills within 15 years The material of the frame you choose will also affect the amount of heat loss Metal frames are the most durable and require very little maintenance but they transfer heat in summer and cold in win ter Metal frames with a thermal break a piece of material like plastic or wood placed in the centre of the frame are more energy efficient Wood frames have a much higher thermal resis tance than metal frames but they require regular maintenance Frames are available with a vinyl coat ing over the wood which reduces the upkeep Some arc completely vinyl these have an insulating capac ity somewhere between that of wood and metal PRODUCTS WITH EXPERT SERVICE AGE MECHANICAL LTD PLUMBING REPAIRS ALTERATIONS NEW WORK DRAIN CLEANING HOT WATER GAS STEAM SHEET METAL ACRYLIC TUB SHOWER REPAIR 8773638 8466270