HM. Clause earns energy rebate

HM.CLAUSE, Inc., a company that specializes in the development, production and sale of vegetable seeds, announced that its recently completed greenhouse facility has qualified for more than $25,000 in energy rebates from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

Lincoln Moehle, Director of Global R&D Operations at HM.CLAUSE, and the project’s coordinator, met early on in the process with energy efficiency engineers from PG&E to discuss “green” design options. “From the outset, we wanted to incorporate equipment and materials in the design of our Davis, CA greenhouse that could provide the kind of controlled environment required by our very specialized research program in the most energy efficient way possible,” said Moehle.

The new greenhouse uses energy efficient glazing on the roof and walls, and heat curtains throughout the 14,200 square foot facility. “Working closely with our Dutch greenhouse provider and our local PG&E representative, we were able to optimize the design for efficiency. We used state of the art hybrid cooling systems developed in Holland, energy efficient motors and control systems, plus high efficiency glazing materials to accomplish our goal,” Moehle explained. The annual energy savings is estimated by PG&E to be more than 22,500 therms and more than 24,700 kilowatt hours (kWh). In addition, the greenhouse is projected to relieve approximately 6.6 kW of electric load off the grid.

“PG&E is committed to saving energy and helping our customers save both energy, and money,” said Becky Johnson, PG&E Sacramento division senior manager. “We’re pleased to partner with HM.CLAUSE on this innovative greenhouse project to create real energy and bill savings for the company.”

The elements incorporated in the construction of the greenhouse met the criteria for PG&E’s Savings by Design program, which provides incentives for implementing energy efficiency measures that ultimately reduce energy costs over the lifetime of new construction projects. “We view this as a win-win situation all around – for our company, PG&E and the environment,” added Moehle. A rebate check in the amount of $25,426 will be presented by PG&E and accepted by Lincoln Moehle on December 8, 2014 at the 96th Annual Meeting of the California Farm Bureau Federation in Anaheim, California.