Analysis of the indoor climate and energy use in two animal houses for fattening pigs

In last years, the adoption of monitoring systems also in animal houses has increased the amount of data that are available for the farmers. A correct analysis of those data could mean more information about the farm that could help to improve the management of the production, to maximize the profit and to guarantee the animal welfare. The continuous monitoring of indoor climate conditions is interesting because the productivity can be strongly affected by environmental parameters that are not adequate to the reared species. In this work, the results obtained from an environmental and energy monitoring campaign carried out in two fattening pig houses are presented. The measurements were performed during two production cycles and take about one year. For the environmental monitoring, the two buildings were equipped with temperature and relative humidity data loggers (10 minutes logging time) that were placed in various spots inside the house. Outdoor data (air temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation) were obtained through a weather station located next to the test site. Concerning the energy monitoring, 3-Phase kW Power Transducers (10 seconds logging time) were placed in the electric panel of each house in order to log the electrical energy consumptions of both the houses due to ventilation, lighting and automatic feeding. Data regarding the reared animals (e.g. final live weight, feed conversion ratio and mortality) were provided by the farmer. The obtained data were used for mapping the temperatures inside the houses, for evaluating the electrical energy consumption related to indoor/outdoor air temperatures and for comparing the indoor air temperature values with values provided in literature. Furthermore, the obtained data were used for individuating potential heat stress conditions of the pigs that could cause production decreases (e.g. higher mortality and lower feed conversion ratio).