Building Design for Energy Efficient Livestock Housing

Energy usage on farms is considered direct when used to operate machinery and climate control systems or indirect when is used to manufacture feed and agro- chemicals. Direct on-farm energy consumption was estimated to be 6 EJ yr− 1, representing about 1.2% of total world energy consumption (OECD, 2008). If indirect energy is included, total farm energy consumption could be as much as 15 EJ yr− 1, representing about 3.1% of global energy consumption. Housed livestock require adequate indoor climate conditions to maximize both production and welfare, particularly avoiding thermal stress. The task of the engineer is to improve the energy use efficiency of livestock housing and to minimize energy consumption. This can be achieved by improving the energy performance of the equipment used for climate control and the design of the building.The focus of this chapter is on building design for efficient energy manage-ment in livestock housing. Improving building design requires understanding the mass and energy balance of the system to specify materials, dimensions, and equipment needed to maintain safe operating conditions. The importance of understanding the energy needs of buildings is illustrated by the report of St-Pierre et al. (2003), who estimated the economic losses by the dairy industry in the U.S. at $1.69 to $2.36 billion annually due to heat stress. Understanding and being able to use fundamental concepts for animal housing design provides the foundation for desirable welfare and more efficient production- centric animal housing.