Gene Simpson, Extension Economist and
Jim Donald, Extension Engineer – Auburn University
Gas bills for heating and brooding on poultry farms are high this year, and almost certainly are more likely to go higher than lower. One possible way to get around high gas costs has recently been tested on a few farms in North Alabama and further extensive tests are underway this coming winter. The alternative heating system uses an oil-fired heater burning #5 oil, which is reclaimed, filtered used motor oil. The combustion unit is located outside the house, with an 18-inch nylon duct carrying warm air into the house.
The initial tests were conducted in both modern Class Aand older Class C broiler houses in North Alabama. Results showed consistent improvements in flock performance and savings in fuel costs for the test houses using the oil-fired heating system. The potential increased income from using the oil heat system was conservatively estimated at over $2,000 per house per year, figured over ten years.
Background and Test Setup
The main reason for testing a heating system using recycled motor oil against the conventional heating systems used is cost savings, based on then-current average prices for propane of 90 cents per gallon and #5 oil at 50 cents per gallon. Not only is the oil cheaper per gallon, but a gallon of #5 oil contains about 140,000 BTUs of heat, compared to only about 90,000 BTUs for a propane. If you do the arithmetic, it means that for a given amount of heat output the propane costs 2.8 times as much as the #5 oil.
To determine feasibility and potential benefits of using the #5 oil, a new oil fired heating system was developed and tested on a multi-house poultry farm in North Alabama. The system utilizes a conventional oil furnace (500,000 BTUs/hour rating) and burns #5 oil. Heated air is blown into an 18” collapsible nylon duct which is suspended on winch cables over the total length of the house. Exit holes are cut into the fabric on each side of the duct every 20 feet
and forced air is directed toward the base of the sidewall to avoid flowing air directly onto the birds.
New Test House
Two broiler houses situated next to each other were compared over four flocks. Both are very new 42’ X 500’ Class A solid sidewall, dropped ceiling houses. Houses are well insulated and utilize half house brooding. Both houses were equipped with electronic controllers and a large number of various environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, etc.). Target weight in both houses was 5.1 pounds for the first three flocks, and 3.70 pounds for the fourth flock. The test period for the four growouts ran from mid-February through early September of 2004. For all flocks, the propane-heated house was heated with forced air heaters and radiant brooders, all using propane exclusively, and following the company’s program. The “Test” house had the oil fired heating system installed in addition to the identical heaters and brooders as the propane-heated house. Actual production figures (from settlement sheets) and detailed fuel consumption figures were directly compared to estimate improvements in profitability. Smoke testing indicated good air mixing and airflow uniformity, similar to that seen with stirring fans.
Preliminary Results on Production, Fuel Use and Expense, and Profitability
In all four flocks, flocks in the oil-fired houses had lower mortalities and improved production over the propane-heated houses, along with lower fuel costs. The total profitability advantage of the oil-fired houses was highest in the first, cool-weather flock, but even in hot weather the oil-fired heating system improved both fuel cost and production. Over the four flocks, the average increase in profitability was $442.75. The comparative results are summarized in Table 1.
Estimated Annual Profitability Improvement
Data analysis generally indicates that for fuel expense alone, the
