Energy Estimator: Animal Housing is the fourth tool in the suite of awareness tools the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed to increase energy awareness in agriculture. This NRCS energy consumption tool is designed to inform you of the major energy cost centers and help you estimate the energy costs for three animal housing scenarios on your farm or ranch. NRCS technical specialists have developed energy cost models for housing dairy cows, swine, and poultry. This tool does not provide operation-specific recommendations. It evaluates options based on user input. These tools are intended to give you an idea of the magnitude of energy savings that you could incur under different management systems. This tool focuses on energy costs in lighting, ventilation and heating the animal houses (barns) on your farm or ranch. Energy use and costs associated with feeding or waste management are not considered in this tool.

The results generated by these tools are estimates based on NRCS models and are illustrative of the magnitude of savings possible. They are not intended to provide precise estimates for your particular farm: actual results would largely depend on your particular local circumstances.