Working with a cannabis cultivation facility here in Bend on Pacific Power Schedule 49. They have 12 mini-split heat pumps for climate control plus dehumidification equipment. The issue is when multiple units kick on during hot afternoons - demand can spike from 80kW to 240kW in minutes. At $22.14/kW demand charge, those spikes are costing serious money. Looking at demand response options and staging controls. Anyone worked with grow facilities and HVAC demand management?
Pacific Power demand limiting for cannabis grow HVAC
SCE territory in Riverside - cannabis facilities are tricky because temperature and humidity tolerances are tight. We installed a Johnson Controls demand management system that stages the equipment starts and maintains setpoints within acceptable ranges. Key is having enough thermal mass in the building to ride through short cycling delays. Cost about $15,000 but saving $4,000+ monthly in demand charges.
Avista customer here in Spokane with similar issues. The growers need precise environmental control but don't understand utility billing. I recommend oversizing the HVAC slightly and running units at partial load rather than cycling on/off at full capacity. Reduces demand spikes and provides better humidity control. VFD-equipped equipment is essential for these applications.
MLGW doesn't have many cannabis operations yet but we see similar issues with data centers and manufacturing. The key insight is that HVAC demand limiting needs to be coordinated with the overall facility load. You can't just manage HVAC in isolation - lighting schedules, dehumidifiers, fans all factor in. Need a holistic approach to demand management.
Bobby makes a great point about coordinated control. This facility also has 200kW of LED grow lights on timers. The afternoon HVAC spike coincides with peak lighting load. We're looking at shifting some lighting schedules to create thermal load diversity. Customer is resistant because it affects their harvest timing but the demand savings could be substantial.
Duane, have you considered thermal energy storage? Ice storage or chilled water systems can shift cooling load to off-peak hours and provide buffering during demand events. Higher upfront cost but eliminates most HVAC-related demand charges. For a facility with tight environmental requirements and high demand rates, the economics usually work. Worth getting a feasibility study from a thermal storage vendor.