The Implementation of Energy-Saving Lighting Systems for Poultry Houses

Abstract

The provision of lighting in poultry shelters is an energy-intensive process in poultry farming, due to a lack of sunlight in closed facilities. Lighting plays an important role in the majority of organism biorhythms and it clocks the processes of vital activities of the birds. Lighting directly influences productivity, growth and sexual maturation of birds. A determining factor for the lifetime of an LED is the crystal heating temperature during its operation. It may be assumed that the LED lifetime is largely independent of the variation in the current passing through the LED (within the limits of its design values). The research objective was to conduct laboratory testing to compare the electricity consumption between the existing and a newly developed lighting system for poultry house no. 19 of the Kuchinsky Poultry Breeding Plant. In order to conduct the laboratory testing, the authors developed lighting fixtures consisting of sealed plastic bodies with an LED-carrying PCB inside. The testing continued for 113 days. The new system consumed 662 kWh, while the previous system consumed 783 kWh. Energy savings through the testing period amounted to 15%. During the testing, the new equipment was reliable; no failures of LED fixtures were recorded.
 Keywords: LED lighting, energy conservation, poultry farming, microclimate