Installing a smart baseboard thermostat likeEcoNet-BHallows farmers to maintain optimal barn temperatures automatically, reducing energy costs and improving animal health all year round.
- Smart thermostats provide precise heating for poultry and swine barns, using digital sensors and automated control to balance comfort with efficiency.
- They can reduce electricity consumption by up to25%, stabilize the environment, and let farmers monitor their barns remotely via WiFi.
- When paired withWattPanel-2X, energy data becomes visible, measurable, and actionable — turning every barn into a smart, data-driven zone.
The Energy Reality of Modern Livestock Farms
Across North America and Europe, livestock operations are facing rising energy costs and growing climate challenges.
A single 2,000 sq ft poultry house with baseboard or radiant heaters can consume over12,000 kWh per monthduring winter.
Inconsistent thermostat performance often leads to over-heating or under-heating, which not only wastes energy but also stresses the animals.
Chickens and pigs are particularly sensitive to micro-temperature changes:
- A1 °C dropbelow comfort levels can reduce feed conversion efficiency by3–5 percent.
- Overheating can increase poultry mortality byup to 8 percent, especially during early brooding.
- Poor airflow and temperature imbalance may lead to condensation, respiratory issues, and ammonia buildup.
Source: University of Minnesota Extension, 2024.
Traditional thermostats in barns rely on bimetallic sensors or mechanical relays that react slowly to changes in air temperature.
They cannot anticipate draft effects or correct for uneven heating across zones.
This often forces farmers to set higher target temperatures as a safety margin — wasting energy and creating inconsistent growth conditions.
Why Smart Baseboard Thermostats Are the New Standard
Smart baseboard thermostats likeEcoNet-BHare built specifically for precision environments where stable heat equals productivity.
Instead of simple on/off control, the device usespulse-width modulation (PWM)to deliver short, adaptive bursts of current.
This keeps temperature oscillation within ± 0.3 °C, far tighter than analog thermostats that fluctuate by up to 2 °C.
Each unit measures air temperature every two seconds and learns the thermal inertia of its room.
That means it can “predict” how much heat is needed before the temperature drops too low — similar to how smart home thermostats optimize comfort in houses, but engineered for barn conditions.
The device is line-voltage compatible (120 V / 240 V), waterproof-sealed, and designed to operate under high humidity.
It can control bothresistance baseboard heatersandinfrared heating panelscommonly found in modern livestock buildings.
“When we switched to EcoNet-BH, we stopped playing the guessing game. The temperature graphs finally looked smooth,” says M. Delgado, a broiler producer in Iowa.
Temperature Control Challenges in Livestock Buildings
Maintaining comfort zones across different livestock areas is a technical challenge.
Let’s look at three typical examples:
| Animal Group | Optimal Range (°C) | Typical Heater Load | Heating Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broiler chicks (1–14 days) | 32 – 35 °C | 2–3 kW / 100 sq ft | Sudden temperature drops after ventilation cycles |
| Piglets (1–4 weeks) | 27 – 30 °C | 1.5–2 kW / pen | Uneven heating, cold corners |
| Dairy calf housing | 10 – 18 °C | 4–5 kW / stall | Maintaining warmth in partially open barns |
EcoNet-BHhelps address all of these through:
- Adaptive controlthat senses both current draw and air temperature.
- Zonal grouping, allowing multiple thermostats to sync their readings across connected barns.
- Historical data logsthat help identify heat loss areas or failing heaters.
Smart Zoning and Energy Optimization
In large operations, different barns or rooms demand different temperature profiles — breeding, nursery, farrowing, and grow-out.
EcoNet-BH supportsmulti-zone managementvia theGrus スマートアプリ, where farmers can define temperature bands and schedules.
例えば：
- Zone 1 (“Brooding A”) can be set to 34 °C between 6 am – 10 pm and 32 °C overnight.
- Zone 2 (“Grow-Out B”) runs at 29 °C day and night, with a 1 °C buffer for ventilation recovery.
- Zone 3 (“Storage Area”) is limited to 18 °C to prevent pipe freezing.
When outdoor temperature sensors show a cold front approaching, the system automatically pre-heats critical zones, preventing the thermal dip that usually happens at dawn.
This level of control once required complex PLCs — now it can be done from a phone or tablet.
Farmers using theWattPanel-2Xin conjunction with EcoNet-BH can view real-time circuit loads.
If a heater draws less power than expected, the system can flag possible relay or wiring issues before animals are affected.
graph TD A[Outdoor Temperature Sensor] --> B[EcoNet-BH Smart Thermostat] B --> C[Baseboard Heater Output] B --> D[Grus App Dashboard] D --> E[WattPanel-2X Energy Monitor] E --> F[Farm Manager Adjustments & Reports]
Quantifying the Energy Gains
A three-month study on five poultry farms in Canada (2024) revealed:
| Farm | サイズ | コントロールタイプ | Energy Use (kWh/month) | After Smart Upgrade | Savings | Avg. Temp Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1,500 sq ft | Analog | 10,900 | 8,450 | 22.5% | ± 0.4 °C |
| B | 2,000 sq ft | Manual relay | 12,300 | 9,880 | 19.7% | ± 0.5 °C |
| C | 1,800 sq ft | Hybrid | 11,200 | 8,750 | 21.9% | ± 0.3 °C |
The reduction in heating variation translated directly into better flock uniformity and feed conversion.
Farms also reported lower humidity levels due to balanced airflow.
Source: Grus Field Data Report, 2024.
Case Study: Ontario Poultry Farm
At an Ontario-based farm operating 8 barns with 24 heaters, the owner installedEcoNet-BHunits linked through WiFi to a central dashboard.
The change immediately exposed inefficiencies that had gone unnoticed for years:
- Two heaters were cycling 30% longer due to poor thermostat placement.
- End-of-barn sections were over-heated by 3 °C because of old sensor lag.
- Total monthly energy use dropped from 31 MWh to24.6 MWhwithin six weeks.
More importantly, the farm achieved a15% faster growth ratein broiler batches due to consistent thermal comfort.
“We used to adjust thermostats by walking to each barn — now we do it from the truck. It’s made management more data-driven and less guesswork.” — J. McLaren, Ontario Poultry Owner
Integration With Farm Automation Systems
The EcoNet-BH is compatible with major automation platforms includingホームアシスタント,Google ホームそしてGrus Cloud API.
Through automation scripts, farmers can trigger cross-system actions:
- If CO₂ > 1,200 ppm → open ventilation dampers + lower heater output by 10%.
- If power cost (TOU tariff) spikes → shift pre-heating to off-peak hours.
- If outdoor temperature < −10 °C → enable “frost guard mode” automatically.
This flexibility bridges smart home technology with precision agriculture — a key trend known as“Smart Barn Integration.”
Practical Installation Guidelines
- 場所– Install thermostats at animal height (1 m for chicks, 1.5 m for pigs).
- Moisture Protection– Use sealed conduit and waterproof junction boxes (IP65 rated).
- Calibration– After installation, run a 24-hour stabilization period to fine-tune thermal response.
- App Setup– Name each zone clearly (“Brooder 1,” “Sow Pen 2”) for easier management.
- Data Review– Check the Grus App weekly for circuit anomalies or temperature drift.
Installation typically takes less than 20 minutes per unit and does not require a central hub.
For complete setup details, visitLearn about EcoNet-BH Smart Thermostat →
よくある質問
Q1. Can EcoNet-BH handle the dust and humidity of livestock barns?
A1.Yes. The enclosure uses moisture-resistant materials and an internal temperature-compensated sensor for accuracy.
Q2. Does it work with other Grus systems?
A2.It integrates seamlessly withWattPanel-2Xfor energy tracking andAquaNetfor water safety monitoring.
Q3. Can it be managed without WiFi?
A3.Local control works even offline; settings sync automatically when connection resumes.
The Future of Livestock Heating Starts with Smart Control
The agricultural sector is moving rapidly towarddata-driven environmental control.
Energy is no longer just an expense — it’s a variable that can be optimized, measured, and automated.
Smart thermostats likeEcoNet-BH, paired with monitoring systems likeWattPanel-2X, give farmers full visibility into what was once hidden behind analog dials.
By merging precision heating with real-time analytics, farmers can achieve higher productivity, lower emissions, and better animal welfare — all without sacrificing simplicity.
AtGrus.io, the mission is clear:
to empower farmers with tools that transform barns into intelligent, responsive environments where comfort, sustainability, and efficiency work together.
From poultry houses in Ontario to pig nurseries in Iowa, the future of livestock heating has already begun — and it’s smart, connected, and powered by Grus.
