The new Energy Efficiency in Dairy Sector pilot grant scheme was launched at the Ploughing this week. The scheme is to help dairy farmers reduce energy costs associated with vacuum pumps on their milking machines.

Currently, these vacuum pumps account for 20% of the total farm electricity consumption.

A variable speed drive (VSD) can be retrofitted to the vacuum pumps to reduce electricity consumption of the pump by 60%, according to Teagasc and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), who are providing the grant aid.

Vacuum pumps will generally run at full speed when they are installed in a general installation.

The addition of the VSD means the speed of the vacuum pump motor will adjust to equal the rate air is admitted to the system at a given vacuum level.

A sensor is also added to the main airline to measure the vacuum in the milking machine and VSD that controls the speed of the motor to maintain the desired vacuum level.

Grant aid

A 50% grant aid is available for the retrofitting of these VSD vacuum pumps. A single-phase system is eligible for a maximum grant of €4,500, excluding VAT. A three-phase system can receive a maximum grant aid of €3,000.

Grant aid is also available for a variable speed milk pump.

Pre-cooling of milk with water via a plate cooler is one of the most effective methods of reducing the cooling costs of milk.

It is necessary to use a VSD milk pump, as high speed milk pumps have rates that are excessive for effective pre-cooling. The addition of a VSD milk pump has the potential to reduce the total farm energy cost by approximately 5% when it is used in conjunction with a plate cooler, according to the SEAI.

For the retrofit of the VSD milk pump, farmers are eligible for a grant aid of 50% to a maximum of €1,000, excluding VAT.

For either investment, a smart meter must be included, as it is a mandatory requirement of the scheme.

The scheme is open to all dairy farmers currently engaged in milk production, registered as a herdowner and is tax-compliant.