Fraser Egg Farm
Energy Savings: 29% | Cost Savings: $11,440 | Capital Cost: $54,000 | CO2 Savings: 36 | Project Status: proposed
Industry:
Eggs
Location:
Wide Bay Burnett
Pump Type:
Not applicable
Irrigation Type:
Not applicable
Technology:
Solar Power and Renewables
The farm, near Dundowran, consists of four laying sheds and house approximately 100,000 birds per annum. The site also includes a feed mill, farm office, maintenance workshop and a house & grader shed that incudes process packing areas and cool rooms.
Energy consumption is dominated by the ventilation and feed systems, with an annual energy consumption for the site of approximately 150,000 kWh at a cost of $36,000.
The sites energy consumption consist of:
- Lighting system
- Ventilation system (circulation fans, tunnel)
- Bore pump
- Feed auger vats
- Manure collection belts
- LPG recirculating heaters
- Feed mills (silos, grain dryers, dust extraction and compressed air systems)
- Refrigeration system (air blowers)
An energy audit showed how implementing a 30 kW solar PV system can lead to energy and cost savings by investing $54,000.
Table 1. Energy savings from audit recommendation
| Recommendation | Energy savings (kWh) | Cost Savings ($) | Emission Savings (tCO2-e) | Payback Period (Years) | Cost to Implement ($) |
| 30 kW Solar PV system | 44,000 | 11,400 | 36 | 4.7 | 54,000 |
By installing the recommendation in the audit, the business could reduce energy consumption by 29%, and costs by 31%, with carbon emission savings of 36 tCO2–e per year.
Table 2. Pre and post audit energy consumption and costs.
| Audit Metric | Pre-Audit | Post-Audit | Reduction (%) |
| Energy Consumption (kWh) | 150,000 | 106,000 | 29 |
| Cost ($) | 36,000 | 14,600 | 31 |
An energy audit is a good investment
An energy audit is a great first step in moving a business towards a more efficient future by reducing energy use, costs and Carbon emissions onsite.
The Energy Savers Plus Extension Program was delivered in by the Queensland Farmers' Federation with support and funding from the Queensland Department of Energy and Public Works.
