Dairy Farm Energy Use

Energy use breakdown on Dairy Farms from similar dairy states.  

New York, 2003

Wisconsin, 2003

Total Energy Use
(Dairy Farms)

In neighboring Wisconsin, milk cooling accounts for the lion’s share of electricity usage at 25%, followed by ventilation at 19%, water heating at 18%, vacuum pumps at 17%, and lighting at 15%. Electric space heating and miscellaneous uses accounted for another 6% of electricity usage.
These results are similar to those in the Dairy Farm Energy Audit Summary in New York. Where milk cooling, lighting, ventilation, and vacuum pumps are the top four categories that accounted for 88% of all electrical energy used on those dairy farms that had and energy audit. The New York study breaks down milk cooling’s share at 25%, followed by lighting at 24%, ventilation at 22%, and vacuum pumps at 17%. Electric water heating (4%), manure handling (4%), feeding equipment (3%), and miscellaneous (1%) made up the balance of 12%.