Do Dehumidifiers Really Save Energy? An Interview with Eef Zwinkels of Royal Brinkman

Energy is one of the biggest challenges for the greenhouse sector these days. Rising prices are driving many growers to cut back on their operations this winter while others seek ways to reduce their energy costs.

Eef Zwinkels, technical account manager at Royal Brinkman, says one of the simplest ways to reduce energy costs is by using dehumidifiers, such as DryGair.

HortiDaily published an interview with Eef Zwinkels regarding the ability of dehumidifiers to save energy in greenhouses.

The following are excerpts from the interview. Read the full article here.

Can Dehumidifiers Really Save Energy?

Absolutely. One of the biggest energy expenses in a greenhouse is ventilation. Especially during the winter or at night when it’s cold outside. When you open the vents and windows, you let all the heat out and allow cold air inside. That way, you must keep heating.

If you’re able to control humidity inside the greenhouse, there’s no reason to ventilate, and you can keep it completely sealed. In a closed greenhouse, you recover all of this energy. That makes a huge difference in energy usage.

So Why Aren’t There Dehumidifiers in All Greenhouses?

Dehumidifiers are relatively new in horticulture. For example, DryGair, the leading dehumidifier manufacturer in the sector, was only formed in 2010.

It sometimes takes time to realize how to incorporate new technological advancements. It requires you to rethink the entire way you operate the greenhouse. That’s why we call it ‘A New Way to Grow.’ It’s not just putting a dehumidifier in the greenhouse that saves energy, and it’s changing the way the greenhouse operates.

Once you have your dehumidifiers, you need to operate them correctly. If you continue to ventilate when it’s cold or humid outside, you won’t get the greatest benefits.

How Do You Operate to Get the Most Energy Savings?

It’s based on a very simple principle. If the weather outside is cold, damp, rainy, etc., ventilation won’t be efficient. In these cases, you should completely close the greenhouse, preferably with thermal screens, to keep as much of the heat inside. Now, turn on your DryGair system, and let it take care of the moisture.

This is a serious shift in mindset for many greenhouse operators. But you can’t argue with the results. With the technological advancements over the past decade or two and the current energy market, it simply makes more sense to grow this way.”

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