When did you last take a close look at your screen settings? When the leaves start to drop outside, it is also the moment to start looking into your screen settings more frequently. Days get shorter, nights get cooler and the weather can change quickly. Getting it one time right is straightforward, doing it perfect every day is challenging. In this article, we look at what makes the right screen moment so tricky, and how you can get it right every day with autonomous climate control.
Close early or close late?
- Close the screen early and you can save energy, but you risk high humidity in the greenhouse.
- Close it late and you cool the greenhouse down and get rid of moisture, but you have to close in time to avoid excessive heating.
It’s tempting to look mainly at the outside temperature. But outside humidity, wind speed and indoor humidity all affect the right moment to close.
Two ways to handle it
Now, you have the choice:
- Checking the weather forecast multiple times per day, checking the current conditions again around the moment of closing and opening and then deciding what is the best moment to close and open the screen.
- Or have the support of a smart system that helps you to find the optimal moment every day, based on the dynamics in your greenhouse. With Crop Controller we offer this support to growers every moment of the day.
Gut feeling is not enough
A sudden warm morning with some nice sunlight? Crop Controller is aware of it and will open the screen a bit earlier, but also evaluate your temperature settings for the ventilation and lower circuit. And how about the evaporation of your plants that will change? A small adjustment of the irrigation settings might also be needed, Crop Controller takes care of this.
By evaluating all outside conditions that play a role constantly, you are able to improve your energy savings and crop conditions significantly. Modern growers know that relying on gut feeling is not good enough nowadays.
A precision job for autonomous control
The same holds for the evening when closing the screen: Creating the right humidity levels while lowering the temperature gradually is a precision job every day. Crop Controller has proven to be able to go through the night with less humid conditions, by operating the screen, vents and lower circuit in fully harmony. Typically, with less humid conditions, while still saving energy.
Summary
In autumn, screen settings need attention more often.
- Closing early saves energy but risks humidity. Closing late removes moisture but risks excessive heating.
- Outside temperature, outside humidity, wind speed and indoor humidity all determine the right moment.
- Crop Controller evaluates all these conditions constantly and adjusts screen, vents, lower circuit and irrigation together.
- The result: energy savings and better crop conditions, also during the night.
Something to consider before your next weekend
So, if you get tired of your screen setting procedure during your next weekend, just give it a thought: Why not let help support you by doing it the way you want, just more frequently and at a higher level of precision?
