Skip To Content Primary Navigation Secondary Navigation
  • About
    • The Grow-To People
    • Our Guest Workers
    • Peter Quiring
    • Food Safety
    • Building Partnerships
  • Sustainable Growing
    • Home Compostable Wrap
    • The Bug Brigade
  • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • FAQ
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
Careers
Nature Fresh Farms Logo
  • Products
    • Organics
    • Tomatoes
    • Peppers
    • Cucumbers
  • Recipes
    • Tomato Recipes
    • Pepper Recipes
    • Cucumber Recipes
  • Learn
    • Educator Resources
    • Greenhouse Education Center
    • Eating Healthy 101
    • In The Kitchen
    • Discovery Center
  • Blog
  • About
    • The Grow-To People
    • Our Guest Workers
    • Peter Quiring
    • Food Safety
    • Building Partnerships
  • Sustainable Growing
    • Home Compostable Wrap
    • The Bug Brigade
  • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • FAQ
  • Products
    • Organics
    • Tomatoes
    • Peppers
    • Cucumbers
  • Recipes
    • Tomato Recipes
    • Pepper Recipes
    • Cucumber Recipes
  • Learn
    • Educator Resources
    • Greenhouse Education Center
    • Eating Healthy 101
    • In The Kitchen
    • Discovery Center
  • Blog

The Expanding World of Energy Management

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – we hear it all the time, everyone says we should do it. We know that its what the Earth needs from us to thrive, but is it possible that being environmentally friendly can also be a huge advantage for businesses? Is it possible to use new technology to reduce your Carbon footprint, while also reducing your expenses? To all of this I give a resounding YES!

My name is Dave Froese and I am the Energy Manager here at NatureFresh™ Farms, an agricultural and greenhouse company located in Leamington, Ontario and Delta, Ohio. I’ve been part of the NatureFresh™ team for over 10 years and since day 1 I’ve been working on projects and finding solutions for the energy challenges we face everyday. Today I’ll try my best to explain many of the ways our greenhouse operation uses technology to manage energy usage and environmental responsibility. We deal with wood combustion, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) reactions, water reclamation/treatment, and electricity management every day to make sure we’re not only growing the best veggies around, but also using our resources in the most efficient way! As you’ll learn, all of these different types of energies interact with each other and its our team’s job to make sure we always have the technology in place to be the leader in our industry!

Energy Screens

NatureFresh™ Farms is part of the government ICI program. ICI stands for Industrial Conservation Initiative and its mission is to work with businesses to control their energy usage, and if we do, we get savings on our energy bill! What we have to do is stay below a specific energy usage rate during the 5 peak periods in the province of Ontario, they call it the High 5. We can save money by using less resources, which means we will need to buy less resources, which also means less costs, it’s a win-win! So how do we do this?

Let’s start with the greenhouse temperature, we have a goal at NatureFresh™ to grow all year round and that can be challenging, especially during the winter months, when the outside temperatures are cold. What we do is create heat that is released inside the greenhouse through pipes, it allows our plants to still grow in their ideal temperature. Re-used water flows through the pipes in a cycle that allows the water to be heated through the burning of materials (we’ll get to that below), the heat is then released into the greenhouse space through each growing row. The water returns to boilers to heat up again and repeat the cycle! Our heating system was designed with resource efficiency in mind as the water is never in contact with any outside material and because of this, we can reuse the water without any contamination. This reduces the demand on the local community’s water supply and we ensure that we’re not returning polluted water back to the area.

BioMass Inventory
Reusing Energy
BioMass Inventory
Reusing Energy

We have very specific sensors within each greenhouse to ensure that the temperature remains at the proper level at all times, which also allows us to control our resources efficiently. The heat is created through the burning of wood and the burning of gas. During the cold winter months, we always start with the burning of the wood, this valuable material that we actually save from going to the landfill! You got it, we search across Ontario for large quantities of wood that would normally be headed straight for the trash, and bring it back to our facilities to re-use as an energy source. Each year, over 15,000 tons (about the same weight as 7500 cars) of repurposed wood is used to heat our greenhouses. The more effectively we can use the wood to heat the greenhouse, the less gas we will need to purchase and burn, helping our costs and carbon footprint!

BioMass Usage

Our greenhouses have the ability to store the heat energy that we generate by using our integrated boiler system. NatureFresh™ facilities have a cohesive heating unit that allows us to efficiently heat and store the water, which is critical in keeping the greenhouse temperature constant. These systems allow us to store the heat for an extended period of time, which helps us in two ways: first, by having a storage of heat at all times, we can run the boilers at a lower flame, which is better for our gas usage, and second, if there every comes a time where our systems shut down, we have over 12 hours of heat stored to keep things running smoothly, that type of flexibility is so important!

No matter what we burn, we have to consider our CO2 situation: as you may know Carbon Dioxide is a critical ingredient for the survival of plants and it’s our job to make sure that they always have the correct level of CO2 in the greenhouse for them to grow. Carbon Dioxide levels are constantly being recorded to ensure that we remain at the proper level. The greenhouses operate in a unique feedback loop that requires the production of CO2 to heat the space, and then the consumption of that same CO2 by the plants to ensure their health.

One of the best parts of my job is that each day I get the chance to work on new projects that help make our energy usage more efficient. It is an exciting and challenging task, and one that we know that will make a huge impact on our business and the environment. They key for us is to find new techniques and to utilize the most advanced technology to ensure that the transfer from fuel to energy is happening at the highest efficiency possible. As you learned above, not only will these advances create an environmentally sustainable operation, but they will also be affecting our balance sheet and finances. Being responsible with your resources becomes one of the most powerful business advantages that you can have. In the business world today, it is important to focus on the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. Here at NatureFresh™, our drive to continuously develop and compare ourselves to the world leaders is what keeps us motivated: the team has been travelling around the world looking at some the best practices of leading companies and we are excited to take what we have learned and bring it back to NatureFresh™!  Some of these projects are top secret, and we can’t share just yet but stayed tuned for some exciting news coming up!

Energy Manager

The world of energy and tech is so large and exciting that I could spend all day writing about it, but I think I’ll leave it at this for now! When you can wake up every morning and know that the work you’re doing can leave a long-lasting impact on the company, and even larger, the world, you feel pretty good! I hope that I have shown today the endless possibilities that exist in our industry. Thanks for reading!

-Dave

2017/08/29

  • How We Grow icon How We Grow
  • The Grow-To People
View all posts tagged with Clean Tech Clean Tech View all posts tagged with Energy Management Energy Management View all posts tagged with Resources Resources View all posts tagged with Sustainable Growing Sustainable Growing View all posts tagged with Technology Technology
Energy Manager

Dave Froese

Energy Manager, whiz at #substainability | Youngest of a family of boys | #LetsGoYankees

  • Email

Snack smarter with our guide to snacking healthy on-the-go!

Our guide includes healthy eating tips, delicious recipes, and inspiration from our community.

Get the guide

Categories

  • The Kitchen icon The Kitchen
  • Newsroom icon Newsroom
  • Healthy Lifestyles icon Healthy Lifestyles
  • Green In The City icon Green In The City
  • How We Grow icon How We Grow
  • Community icon Community
  • The Grow-To People
  • The Bug Brigade icon The Bug Brigade
  • Uncategorized icon Uncategorized

Tags

Tomatoes, Healthy Eating, Bell Peppers, Greenhouse Grown, Cucumbers, Grow To People, Sustainability, Community, Education, GreenInTheCity, Healthy Living, Fresh Produce

Authors

  • Nature Fresh Farms
  • Noelle Martin
  • Brittany MacAulay
  • Bryn B. & Dana C.
  • Molly DeGrandchamp
  • Adam Mefrakis
  • Lindsay Fager
  • Marcos Diaz
  • Herman Fehr
  • Cole Burkholder
  • Hailey Quigley
  • Noah Mefrakis
  • Gluten Intolerance Group
  • Mitch Monaco
  • Jacy Brydges
  • Danielle Ferreira
  • Zak Braun
  • Bryn Parent
  • Stephanie Mastronardi
  • Cam Lyons
  • The Produce Nerd
  • Chef Zach Lightfoot
  • The Produce Mom
  • Tina Friesen
  • Chris Veillon
  • Tyler St. Pierre
  • Kathy Birkett
  • Kelly Noseworthy
  • Peter Quiring
  • Dave Froese
  • Produce For Kids
  • Frankie Fresh
  • Chef Henry
  • Jack Hannigan

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

Latest Tweets

The hard work, dedication, & perseverance of our team is unmatched! This #EmployeeAppreciationDay, we showed every member of our team a little bit of extra gratitude with a sweet treat. 🍪 #ThankYou to the Nature Fresh Farms team for all you do! https://t.co/DbOhY9ZLWO

@Nature_Fresh 2 days ago

@WENZHOUXINTAI Thank you!

@Nature_Fresh 5 days ago

Nature Fresh Farms is looking to expand our thriving team! We are a group of passionate people working together to grow for a kinder future. 💚 Visit our #Careers page to apply for one of our open positions & grow your career with us: https://t.co/WsR8KIqELG https://t.co/qm2QISC5Wq

@Nature_Fresh 6 days ago
The Ins & Outs of Greenhouse Irrigation
How We Grow

The Ins & Outs of Greenhouse Irrigation 

NatureFresh™ Farms in a Sentimental World
Green In The City

NatureFresh™ Farms in a Sentimental World 

The Best Herbs & Spices to Pair with Tomatoes
The Kitchen

The Best Herbs & Spices to Pair with Tomatoes 

Fresh Updates

Join our email list for fresh updates straight from the greenhouse! We'll send you blog posts, recipes, and events in your area. Learn more about why you should sign up here.

What would you like to learn more about? Select all that apply.*
Javascript is required to submit this form.

By entering my email I hereby consent to receiving emails for the above stated purpose. Subscribers may at any time withdraw their consent to receive emails.

  • Products

    • Organics
    • Tomatoes
    • Peppers
    • Cucumbers
  • Learn

    • Learn
    • Educator Resources
    • Greenhouse Education Center
    • Blog
    • Discovery Center
  • About Us

    • The Grow-To People
    • Peter Quiring
    • The Bug Brigade
    • Food Safety
    • Sustainable Growing
  • Contact

    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • FAQs

Products

  • Organics
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Cucumbers

Learn

  • Learn
  • Educator Resources
  • Greenhouse Education Center
  • Blog
  • Discovery Center

About Us

  • The Grow-To People
  • Peter Quiring
  • The Bug Brigade
  • Food Safety
  • Sustainable Growing

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • FAQs

Get In Touch

  • 634 Mersea Road 7, RR5
    Leamington, Ontario
    N8H 3V8
  • info@naturefresh.ca
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
Nature Fresh Farms Logo A Nature Fresh Farms Learning Initiative. © 2021 Nature Fresh Farms. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Leaf Icon