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USDA REAP Funding Helps Nursery Owners Improve Energy Efficiency
Brothers Marvin and Dale Fessler, owners of Fessler Nursery Company in Woodburn, Oregon, southwest of Portland, were looking at how they could make their operation more energy efficient. Fessler Nursery uses natural gas to run forced-air heaters in their greenhouses that contain a variety of annual plants and hanging baskets sold in retail and wholesale markets.
"Heating costs are 12% of our annual expenses, so we were interested in reducing energy use," explains Marvin Fessler.
The nursery began looking at options to replace old fiberglass greenhouse walls and roofs, which had become clouded and yellowed with age, and had a low heat retention capacity.
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Beer Bottle Collector 
By David Cowlishaw
To the right is a suggested construction for an externally mounted collector comprised of double glazed windows over black painted metal (such as aluminum siding or metal roofing), with an insulated back, such as foil faced rigid foam insulation.
Resealable recycled bottles contain water with a few drops of bleach, and are stacked on suitable sheet material, arranged to force a serpentine path for the air flow.
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