Are You Wasting Expensive Electricity?

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Allaster Dallas (FCG Midwest)

I have been fortunate enough to undertake some recent work on automation and grant application projects funded through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). This branched off into examining electric usage on the farm and its current applications, particularly during peak demand.

Some farms are finding that in some cases, their demand for electricity at certain times of the day is outstripping the facilities that are currently in place, leading to components overheating in some cases or units failing and trips cutting out.

Below is data from DEFRA, published on 21st August 2025, ‘Energy use on farms in England 2023/24’, showing that 58% of dairy farmers in the UK know they use electricity but are unsure of their exact usage.

Electrical faults nearly always come at the worst time and can cause the most frustration, mainly because we are so reliant on electricity being there.

Most dairy farms are consolidating, with the number of farms decreasing and the number of cows remaining the same or increasing. This suggests that investments are being made to cater for these increases. Previous grants have focused on areas that needed the most improvement and have been widely taken up. These have included areas such as slurry storage and slurry separation. Farmers have looked at increasing productivity such as heat detection systems and automation as labour has been difficult to source or increased in price. The changing environment has forced farming systems to change, with warmer temperatures becoming the new norm, and livestock systems are becoming more prevalent.

Strategies to reduce or maximise electricity usage

  • Monitor and understand your current situation. In the simplest form, this would require reading the meter more frequently; smart meters are making this process more accessible.
  • Understanding what the daily usage looks like. On dairy farms, this typically occurs at or around milking, when central milk cooling takes place. Staggering usage when other machinery, pumps, or mixers start and stop could reduce peak demand or loading.
  • Heating water at night and insulating pipework.
  • Is the equipment you are investing in the most energy-efficient? Running costs are not always considered. The benefits of running fans where livestock are housed include considerable reductions in stress, as well as increased production and fertility. Fans should be controlled through a thermostat and turn on when the temperature goes above 22 °C. It is surprising how often they run when installed.  It is worth considering altering building designs and examining stocking rates, as part of an overall review on electricity usage.
  • Switch supplier – understand the tariff you are on and how long your current contract lasts.
  • Become old-fashioned and unpopular and tell people to turn things off or adjust timers and sensors for lights.

Producing electricity

According to the recent DEFRA survey, solar energy was the most common type of renewable energy generation, with 27% of farm businesses having solar panels. 9% had renewable heat technologies such as ground source pumps. 3% had wind and hydroelectric. Less than 1% of farms generated renewable energy via anaerobic digestion or combined heat and power generators.

On-farm energy production has not always been considered because the installation costs have been too high or planning or tenancy issues have made the prospect too difficult.

In conclusion, knowing where you are with your usage will help farms better understand what can and needs to be done in the future. The trend for using more electricity continues to be upward and this will put more pressure on farm electric infrastructure.

Contact Allaster at allasterdallas@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office, to review your on farm electricity usage and where you can improve your usage efficiency.

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