Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Journal February 23, 2016 - Greenhouse energy saving device.


With sun rising higher in the sky and the night temperatures not so severe, I have begun thinking about returning the olive trees to the greenhouse to make room for seed starting.

Heating the greenhouse at night has always been an issue in early spring and fall; previously I have relied on electric heaters controlled by a timer.  The timer was set from nine in the evening to nine in the morning regardless of the temperature.  

Controlling the thermostat on the heater was another major issue, as I could never get the heaters to behave quite as I would have liked them to.  

This device may provide a solution to the problem, it is called a Thermo cube and automatically turns the electricity on and off according to the temperature.  My device was purchased through eBay, but they are available from other vendors in the $12 to $15 dollar range.




The literature says it will turn the electric on at approximately 35 degrees F and off at approximately 45 degrees F, which is IDEAL for the olive trees.

To test the device I placed a small night light in one of the sockets and placed it in the greenhouse today.  



To monitor the device I used my remote indoor thermometer and the IP camera in the greenhouse.  Sure enough, when the thermometer hit 35.2 degrees F, the light went on!

It is so nice when something works exactly as they claim it would, and I expect to reclaim the cost of the device in energy savings.

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