Heating and Cooling

Greenhouse Circulation FanFan Options

Plant health is vital to the greenhouse’s success, and air circulation plays a major role. Air movement reduces plant disease and can stimulate fertilization.

  1. Circulation fans constantly move air within a greenhouse and are essential to the plant’s health. The fans also eliminate hot and cold pockets and keep temperature and humidity uniform. Placing fans in opposite corners of the greenhouse helps keep a consistent rhythm of air movement. Fans also reduce condensation.
  2. Intake louvers and exhaust fans are typically used with non-insulated greenhouses. The exhaust fan expels excess heat from the greenhouse, while the intake louver brings in fresh air, and together they regulate temperature and promote healthy plant growth.

Greenhouse Intake Louver Heating and Cooling

The interior temperature of your greenhouse is critical to how well your plants will grow. Most greenhouses will need to be heated and cooled to provide the proper indoor environment for plants.

Solar Heat Gain

All glass structures are prone to solar heat gain and the greenhouse effect.  Solar Innovations, Inc. greenhouse experts can evaluate the solar resource of a location throughout the year and make suggestions for the best management to use it most effectively and prevent overheating.

Greenhouse HeaterHeating

Any heat source will keep a greenhouse warm, including: electric, propane, natural gas, oil, radiant, wood, or solar thermal. However, some tropical plants require the greenhouse be kept at a constantly warm temperature, while hardy cold crops like lettuce and kale will thrive at lower temperatures. Solar Innovations, Inc. greenhouse experts will evaluate your location, greenhouse design, and plant types when selecting a heating source, to provide you with the best suggestion for heating. Different heating systems have different advantages, and greenhouse sizes and shapes will determine if one heater or multiple heaters will be required.

Greenhouse CoolingCooling

Cooling a greenhouse is more involved and specific than heating. Most forms of heating will provide the same result, but the wrong type of cooling can prove detrimental to plants. Solar Innovations, Inc. suggests an evaporative method of cooling in addition to ridge and eave vents. As the heat accumulates and rises, it forces the ridge vents to open. An evaporative cooler is needed when this venting is not sufficient. This system blows outside air over a wet pad that takes the heat out of the air and cools it. This cooler air is then introduced into the greenhouse. This method is reliable, efficient, and can be automatically controlled.