Wind-activated Fan Shutoff to Reduce Electricity Required for Summer Ventilation

Abstract

Summertime ventilation of open-sided broiler houses is done primarily with forced ventilation using large fans. To exploit the potential of natural ventilation, a wind sensing device was interfaced with the fan control circuit. The device, called a “sail switch”, interrupted power to the fans when sufficient wind was available to remove the sensible heat and moisture produced by the broilers. The sail switch controlled the fans of a research broiler house where 3,250 broilers were reared from three to eight weeks. Interior conditions were monitored continuously. Results overall showed a greater than 50% reduction in fan run time. In particular, during a 24-h period at five weeks and again at seven weeks (bird age), fans ran only 17 and 40% of the time, respectively. Throughout the rearing period, heat and moisture produced by the broilers were adequately removed while the sail switch permitted natural ventilation, when available, to replace forced ventilation.