"Thanks to an energy scan of my business, I can now see many more sustainability opportunities."

"Thanks to an energy scan of my company, I can now see many more sustainability opportunities."

Dairy farmer Erwin Bosch from Laren, Gelderland, has been growing grains, fodder beets and field beans as concentrates for his 85 cows for years. When a consultancy firm pointed him to the SME Sustainability Grant Scheme (SVM) when he bought solar panels, he also had an energy scan done. Bosch: "Since then, I see many more sustainability opportunities for my farm."

"In the more than 200 years this company has been in the family, I don't think we've ever done as much in the way of sustainability as we are now," Bosch says. "At least 60 percent of the protein in our milk comes from our own soil, we use very little fertilizer, and we are taking measures to increase biodiversity in our fields. Before buying solar panels, I contacted a consulting firm, DLV Advies. They told me that I could also have a full energy scan of my farm done with funding from the SVM. Normally you pay € 1500 for such a scan. I would have found that too much money without the subsidy. So I grabbed this opportunity immediately."

This article previously appeared on www.deb.nl. Image: stock photo.

List of energy-saving tips

Bosch received the results of the scan via e-mail. This included a lot of energy-saving tips. "Solar panels indeed turned out to be a good investment. Power consumption in the milking parlor can be reduced by purchasing a variable speed drive on the milking motor. For the lights in the barns, I was advised to draw up a lighting plan and switch to LED. Those lights use a lot of energy now. Through heat recovery from the milk cooling process we can reduce our gas consumption. And so I received many more tips."

Easy contact and customization

"From the first contact, the agency showed itself to be very knowledgeable and involved. Two consultants came by personally to discuss the scan results. I have been in contact with them ever since about the measures from the advice. For example, they ask if measures are working and if I need advice on anything else. Because they know me, they can deliver tailor-made solutions. I would definitely recommend other agricultural entrepreneurs to hire a consultancy firm for energy advice. They can help make your business more sustainable step by step while you focus on your business."