In the winter months, whether they are frozen and snowy or mainly mild, depending upon the zone, greenhouse growers are always forced to think about their current (or future) heating system. How do you know if you’re getting the most out of your heating elements? This is a major piece to greenhouse efficiency, which can easily make or break your harvest.
The quickest way to figure out what your greenhouse needs for a heating system is explained below. If you are not familiar with heating systems or appliances in general, have no fear -- this process is self explanatory! After all, our mission is to help you figure out how to warm your greenhouse as efficiently as possible.
The first step involves calculating the entire exterior surface area of your greenhouse. The example we’ll use is also found on this “How-To” page, which focuses on the popular free-standing Rimol greenhouse, the Northpoint. This particular example concerns a 22’ wide and 96’ long greenhouse, so keep that in mind.
1. Calculate the entire exterior surface area:
A. Start by calculating end wall surface area: 22' (width) x 8' (average wall height) = 176' (one end) x 2 = 352 sq. ft. (both ends)
B. Then, calculate roof surface area: In our example, the roof uses 36’ wide poly, so 36’ x 96’ = 3,456 sq. ft.