Farmers might want to consider looking at energy use on their farms every five years or so, and consider ways to reduce energy consumption.

The need for farmers to have an an energy audit varies from farm to farm as well as price variation due to energy costs. Even if an energy audit has previously been conducted on a farm, it will provide accurate information regarding potential energy savings on the farm until changes that could affect energy usage are in place.

Extension Associate Don Day with the University of Missouri gives some background on what the energy audit involves for farms. “It’s important to look at how efficiently the energy is used,” he says. “And examine different energy conservation options that would reduce the energy use.”

He says the one big thing about having an energy audit would be that it reduces energy costs and the other is to conserve energy in general. Day says there are base rate variations for energy audit costs and it will also depend on how much total energy of farm would use from any particular energy source.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports (1:01)