Sunnyheat infrared heating panels in pheasantry farm

Sunnyheat Panels in Pheasantry Farm

The rooms where the pheasants are raised were heated during the months of May and July 2010. The performance of the Sunnyheat panels was monitored for a period of 6 weeks starting from July 2010.

Each room where the young pheasants are reared measures 12 meters in length by 4,5 meters wide (total surface is 54 m2), the height of each room is approximately 2 meters. The facility has 7 rooms; three are heated with a number of electric heaters without regulation, ranging from 5 to 7 heaters per room.Three rooms are heated with two bell-shaped heaters with regulation  and one room was heated using three Sunnyheat panels.

Electric heaters without regulation

Bell shaped heater with regulation

It is essential that the young birds have a temperature of at least 33 °C on the floor during the first two weeks in which they are in the rooms. The temperature should not be constant throughout the room but it is sufficient that the birds can gather in a warmer area (the surface of this area was kept between 2 and 4 m2. After the first two weeks the panels were programmed to maintain a temperature of 28 °C on the bedding below them, while the temperature in the surroundings was maintained between 24 and 26 °C. The electricity consumption of the different heating systems (heaters without regulation, bell-shaped heaters and panels) was measured using a digital Watt meters connected between the plug and source of electricity.


The temperature in all of the rooms was kept between 30 and 33 °C during the first two weeks, and between 24 and 28 °C during the remaining four weeks.
 
RESULTS


At the end of the six weeks in which the consumption of the different heaters was monitored the results recorded were the following:
- consumption of 1 bell-shaped heater over six weeks continuous operation: 465 kW
- consumption of 1 Sunnyheat panel over six weeks continuous operation: 188 kW
- It was found that all three Sunnyheat panels consumed in total ± 100 kW/week
- All heaters without regulation consumed together between 400 and 500 kW/week
- The bell-shaped heaters consumed in total ± 200 kW/week
Based on these results the use of Sunnyheat panels at the pheasant farm of Luhy (Czech Republic) has the potential of halving the energy consumption for the pheasant rearing compared to the bell-shaped heaters currently in use. When compared to the small heaters without regulation, Sunnyheat panels could reduce the consumption by three fourth (3/4) of the current consumption.


NOTES


It should be noted that the insulation of the rooms were the pheasants are reared could be improved by adding glass-wool material between the ceiling and roof, as well as on part of the walls. This operation has been estimated to be relatively low-cost (return to investment within 1 year), and would further lower the energy needed to heat the rooms by 20%. Furthermore, the results shown should take into account the fact that the spring of this year (2010) has been exceptionally cold in the location of the pheasant farm, and that it can be expected that the energy consumption for heating the rooms will be lower in those years were a normal temperature range occurs.


No significant differences in health of the birds was observed in the different heating conditions but the employee working at the farm observed a better quality of the air in the room heated with Sunnyheat panels.


It is advised to cover the panels in a way that the birds cannot sit on top of the panels.