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Winter Conditions at the Greenhouse |
The following were all ideas that surfaced since the winter of 2007-08, the winter of $4.00/gal heating oil. We began running our greenhouse at 49F night temperatures when we turned on the heat in late September 2008. The night temperature during the winter of 07-08 was 53F.
We installed "Techfoil" aluminized Mylar and bubble wrap type installation on the bottom four feet of the greenhouse's north side. We also installed a third layer of poly on the outside of the greenhouse and added a second inflation fan to create the airspace between the middle and outer layers of poly. As near as we can estimate, these three things have reduced our heating oil requirements between 30-40%.
The best thing about this is that we seem to have created an even better environment for our trees. The inside of the greenhouse is noticeably snugger and tighter, with virtually no drafts from outdoors.
The furnace is also running much less frequently. And even with night temperature at 49F, the quality of the bonsai is the best we have ever seen here. The leaf color is dark and the leaf drop is minimal, even on Ficus trees - whose ability to drop leaves at the slightest change in environment is legendary.
If you like bonsai, it really would be worth your while to call or email me and set up a time to stop by. The trees look great.
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