Four ways bench heat saves energy

From Delta T Solutions: Growers are always looking for ways to maximize efficiency and cut costs through sustainable growing practices. Using radiant bench heat is just one way to accomplish all these goals and benefit your bottom line.

In the case of hydronic bench heat, water is circulated through tubes installed on top of or under the bench mesh. This method of heating is highly efficient because it heats the plants starting at the soil level rather than the air in the greenhouse. This results not only in accelerated rooting and plant growth, but energy savings, as well – as much as 20 to 30 percent fuel savings over conventional forced air heating.

Hydronic bench heating has numerous benefits.

“The plants are sitting directly on the surface that’s heated, so you get root zone heating as opposed to a lot of air heating,” says Joyce Latimer, Virginia Tech professor and Extension specialist for greenhouse crops in Virginia. “So typically, you’ll have a more efficient system, and you’ll have a healthier plant because the root zone is warmed to allow root growth.”

Latimer adds that in plug or seedling production, warming the media improves the speed of germination and oftentimes percent germination. “Any time you can optimize the temperature of the soil, you’re going to optimize germination and therefore get faster and better germination with fewer seed or seedling losses,” she says. In addition, it will help dry the soil to reduce fungal issues.

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