Growing greener: IFA Nurseries

Growing greener: IFA Nurseries


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IFA Nurseries- Klamath Falls17 Nursery manager Jacky Friedman, left, and assistant manager Mike Heaton. Assistant manager Mike Heaton in the boiler room for one of the greenhouses. Assistant manager Mike Heaton, left, and Nursery manager Jacky Friedman. IFA Nurseries- Klamath Falls10
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IFA Nurseries in Klamath Falls grows high-quality conifer tree seedlings for reforestation—about 6.5 million of them every year. Keeping so many seedlings at just the right temperature is not only a challenge but critical for business. So, when the boilers in two of the nursery’s greenhouses were no longer up to the task, IFA Nurseries turned to CR Combustion, which recommended replacing them with new high-efficiency natural gas condensing models.

“The new boilers provide a much more even temperature, and they’re highly reliable because they have built-in redundancy,” said Jacky Friedman, plant manager. “Each boiler has multiple units or modules. Should one module go down, the others keep running, which helps protect our crop.” The modules also offer considerable flexibility. “Most of the time, we can run the boilers at a reduced setpoint—keeping them in condensing mode and operating at 95% efficiency.” That efficiency project is saving IFA Nurseries an estimated $25,700 in annual energy operating costs.

“We’re quite happy with the outcome,” said Friedman. “The boilers always provide ample heat no matter the outside temperature. We can monitor and control them remotely 24/7. We’re already discussing upgrading the boilers in our other two greenhouses.”

The project worked out so well that word got out within IFA Nurseries family of facilities. It wasn’t long before CR Combustion worked with IFA’s Aurora facility to replace its old boilers, which had leaking fire tubes, with new high-efficiency condensing model. That project cut the Aurora nursery’s annual natural gas bill by an estimated $14,500.

Could your nursery benefit from energy-efficiency upgrades? Check out the latest no- and low-cost tips and resources to make your business run better, visit www.energytrust.org/for-business or call 1.888.777.4479.