Dairy farm heating system is 'cream of the crop'

An innovative alternative energy system is using cows’ milk to heat water on dairy farms.

South West Refrigeration, based in Exeter, has developed the unique patent-pending installation that is now in use on more than 90 farms across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.

The key element of the system is Gledhill Building Products’ Stainless Lite Buffer Store, which enables the heat from fresh cows’ milk to be extracted to pre-heat water, which is then fed into a boiler and used to clean the milking equipment.

"Dairy farms typically have very high costs due to the need to have water at 85 degrees C to clean the equipment thoroughly," managing director of South West Refrigeration, Paul Turner, said.

"Our system extracts 20 degrees C per litre of milk produced which can be harvested in the Stainless Lite Buffer Store and then used to heat the water, so that a minimal amount of additional heating is required from the boiler to achieve the desired temperature. If the boiler was heating water from ground temperature it would have to be brought up from much lower temperatures, so there are big savings to be made."

Farmers have been able to claim a grant towards renewable heating from the regional development agency, which can in turn generate a 50-60% return on investment per year, dependant on the quantity of milk produced.

"Since we found Gledhill Building Products’ Stainless Lite Buffer Store we haven’t looked back," Paul continued.

"The product is second to none, and is extremely robust which is just what is needed on a busy dairy farm. Our local merchants, Orion Plumbing & Heating in Exeter, were very helpful when we were choosing the right cylinder."

South West Refrigeration has purchased more than 150 of Gledhill’s Stainless Lite Buffer Tanks, in 200, 300 and 400-litre capacities. They expect to install the system at approximately one farm per week over the coming years as demand for green energy systems increases.