Youngblood Nursery Inc. in Salem has grown and offered decorative shrubs and timber to nurseries and landscapers since Don and Jeanne Youngblood and their son Troy based the enterprise in 1990. Not too long ago, Troy Youngblood determined to broaden and embody uncommon tropical houseplants. An unexpectedly massive spike in vitality use led the nursery to improve its greenhouse glazing with incentive help from Vitality Belief of Oregon.
In 2023, the nursery began build up a provide of tropical vegetation in a virtually two-acre greenhouse. These varieties should be saved at a minimal 70-degrees with excessive humidity ranges to thrive. Youngblood knew these adjustments would improve vitality use. They have been stunned by simply how a lot when representatives from NW Pure got here by to analyze if a attainable fuel leak was inflicting the weird surge of their fuel utilization.
Based mostly on suggestions from different growers, Youngblood reached out to Vitality Belief to study extra about choices for enhancing vitality effectivity and decreasing prices within the single-glazed greenhouse. After speaking with a number of contractors a few vary of supplies, he selected a triple wall polycarbonate exterior improve.
Youngblood labored with Brooks Greenhouse Development, the contractor who initially constructed the greenhouse, to buy and set up the triple wall polycarbonate. The challenge value of $393,000 included labor and 100,000 sq. ft of fabric to cowl the greenhouse. Vitality Belief supplied $162,000 in money incentives.
“We did this large-scale challenge out of our personal working capital,” stated Youngblood. “The inducement from Vitality Belief meant we might contemplate doing the challenge, and full it with out an enormous mortgage.”
Triple wall polycarbonate has three layers of fabric with air area between every layer, which retains heat contained in the greenhouse longer whereas letting in loads of mild for wholesome vegetation. Along with defending the vegetation, this improved insulation helps cut back vitality use and prices. The brand new greenhouse shell is estimated to avoid wasting 54,000 therms yearly.
“We’re working a enterprise, so prices matter,” stated Youngblood. “Our tropical vegetation can vary from $50 to $200 every wholesale, with actually particular ones up within the 1000’s of {dollars}. Multiplied by a number of acres of vegetation, that’s some huge cash. We have to do all we will to handle prices, defend the vegetation and promote development.”
Youngblood seen how significantly better the greenhouse held warmth on the coldest nights proper from the beginning. Now he’s speaking with Vitality Belief about money incentives for high-efficiency heater upgrades that can additional enhance vitality financial savings. Youngblood can also be contemplating warmth retention curtains. Additional down the road, if the tropical houseplant enterprise actually takes off, he’ll look into upgrading the masking on a second, smaller greenhouse.
Along with decreasing his operational vitality use, Youngblood sees different alternatives associated to his expanded enterprise. For one, the nursery has employed extra workers and spent lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} regionally on plant begins and provides. “There are environmental advantages too,” Youngblood stated. “Many uncommon tropical vegetation offered within the U.S. come from Florida and abroad. By rising and supplying full-size vegetation in native markets, we’re serving to cut back transport miles, and the associated prices of gasoline, drivers and carbon emissions.”
Should you’re eager about studying extra about money incentives for greenhouse and nursery upgrades, contact Vitality Belief at 1.866.202.0576 or electronic mail manufacturing@energytrust.org.
