TO-22-C066 – Review of Efficiency Criteria and Regulations to Reduce Energy and Carbon Impacts of Horticultural Facilities

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The energy use for indoor and greenhouse horticulture has grown dramatically over the past 15 years, driven both by the legalization of medical andrecreational marijuana and the increasing interest in sourcing ingredients from local farms year-round. Nationally, indoor horticulture facilities wereestimated to consume 20 billion kWh of electricity in 2012 corresponding to 1% of electricity use nationally (Mills, 2012). Since 2012 nearly 18 stateshave legalized recreational marijuana and many more have seen growth in the local food movement, only increasing demand from these facilities. Becauseof the desire to recreate optimal outdoor growing conditions, indoor horticulture facilities typically have energy use intensities (EUIs) that are twice that offast-food restaurants and can exceed even data centers. The lighting power density (LPD) in the facilities can be 80 times that of the lighting powerdensity in office buildings and the lights operate on average 18 hours per day. Thus, most of the energy used in these facilities is for lighting and HVACand dehumidification systems to maintain ideal temperature and humidity levels. In 2017, the American Society of Agricultural and BiologicalEngineers (ASABE) released ANSI/ASABE Standard S640 which established a metric, μmol/J (micromoles per Joule), to measure the photonicefficacy of lighting used in horticultural applications. In 2018 the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) began establishing criteria for LED luminaires forthese applications. In due time, the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), Title 24-2022, and many other standards, includingASHRAE 90.1, have adopted or are considering lighting photonic efficacy limits in indoor horticulture facilities, driving significant energy savings.Utilities also have begun to offer incentives to reduce energy use in these facilities using DLC’s LED photonic efficacy threshold of 1.9 μmol/J. The2021 IECC also for the first-time established insulation criteria for the envelope of heated greenhouses. This paper describes the technical and policyconsiderations used at the national, state, and local levels to reduce energy use from these facilities and the potential for an addendum to ASHRAE 90.1on new lighting efficacy requirements. The authors also provide recommendations for future steps in standards to reduce the energy use of HVAC andlighting loads in both indoor horticulture facilities and greenhouses.

Product Details

Published:

2022

Number of Pages:

8

Units of Measure:

Dual

File Size:

1 file , 1.5 MB

Product Code(s):

D-TO-22-C066

Note:

This product is unavailable in Russia, Belarus