Heat pumps offer low energy heating for poultry

Under floor heating offers many cost savings to poultry businesses, but to get the full benefit, it needs to be coupled up with a sophisticated control system and a renewable source of heat.

The biggest difference between under floor heating and traditional gas heating is that it uses radiant heating rather than convection, said Damian Baker of Norwich-based RenEnergy.

It also delivers heat where it is needed. As with human beings, birds feel most comfortable with a temperature profile with warmer air at their feet and cooler air around the head, but traditional convection heaters give the opposite.

Furthermore, gas burners produce high rates of convection, which leads to air currents moving bugs and mites around the house.

Another advantage of under floor heating is that litter is dryer, which is better for the health of the birds' feet.

In contrast with domestic and industrial uses, under floor systems are still in their infancy in the farming sector. Some producers are missing out on some of the potential cost savings because of poor control over water flow rates in the piping and temperature, said Baker.

Existing systems use a fixed flow rate, meaning they are operating at a higher water temperature than wheat is necessary. With modern systems, the air temperature can be controlled and a minimum/maximum for the floor can be set, therefore giving the right balance of heat.

Fuel savings are further enhanced with the weather compensated flow temperature function, reducing the heat input on warmer days. It automatically adjusts the flow temperature using temperature probes outside the shed and buried in the floor.

By having this extra control, a poultry producer can save an extra 10-15% in running costs of under floor heating systems, said Baker.