Energy Conscious Tips for Greenhouse Planning
Reduce, reuse, recycle has never been easier than in the greenhouse. Keeping these three principals in mind in the greenhouse planning stage will help increase your workflow, productivity, and efficiency.

Reduce in the Greenhouse
Reducing energy consumption in the greenhouse begins in the construction stage. Energy conservation techniques for building can be extended to the greenhouse with a few minor alterations. If your greenhouse plan does not include a mechanical ventilation system, but relies on manually opening panels when the temperature rises, you will want to seal up any cracks, gaps and crevices you can find. Creating a sealed greenhouse environment (but not airtight – you do need constant fresh air) will make it easier to hold in the sun’s natural heat in the winter and lower your heating costs. Conversely, if you employ a heating/air conditioning unit or an electric fan for ventilation, sealing up any large gaps in the greenhouse will make your heating and cooling efforts more efficient.

Insulation is a major source of energy savings in a standard building construction project. To save money on heating, look at the R factor of various greenhouse covering materials and select one that will help hold the heat in your greenhouse. Also consider the framing. Metal frames conduct heat out of the greenhouse and cold into the greenhouse while plastic and wood frames do not. If possible, avoid metal frames.

Reuse in the Greenhouse
Reusing items in the greenhouse not only saves money, but it helps the environment. Pots, seedling inserts and trays are all things that can be used over and over again. Just wash them with a bleach/water solution to kill any harmful bacteria that might be lingering. 

Recycle in the Greenhouse
Recycling in the greenhouse is best seen through the practice of composting. An energy conscious greenhouse gardener contributes to a compost pile year round, not only for the sake of recycling yard waste, food scraps and other consumable organic products, but for the terrifically rich and fertile yields of the compost pile itself. Plants treated with compost material grow larger, stronger and healthier than plants treated with artificial fertilizers and chemicals. When planning your greenhouse construction, you can include a nearby composting area to incorporate your recycling habits into the overall greenhouse plan.

Greenhouse gardeners can also recycle glass panels, gardening tools, soil, and beneficial insects.

Being energy conscious in the greenhouse is a natural choice and is easy to implement with a little forethought and effort. Reduce, reuse and recycle is the greenhouse gardener’s motto.

For more information on saving energy in the greenhouse, the California Farm Bureau Federation has provided a list of energy saving tips for the greenhouse at: http://www.cfbf.com/issues/energy/green.cfm.