The average starting cost for a cannabis grow facility can vary dramatically. From geography to labor costs to design and technology selections, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what the costs will be until you really start diving in. In this article, discover tips from a grow room architectural designer.
Without a proper HVACD system maintenance plan, your energy bill will increase, your equipment could fail, and your plants will suffer. Avoid these problems and keep your climate system in working order with the help of this guide.
Our recognition in the industry as the experts in cultivation climates means that we are often asked to diagnose performance failures in systems not of our design. When we audit these systems, we find there are common themes as to why they aren’t performing as expected. Let’s discuss the most common reasons we find for issues with HVACD system performance.
There are so many options for climate control in cultivation facilities, and it’s possible to implement an affordable, energy efficient system that meets your budget and lasts for decades – even in hot weather cultivation climates. Start by choosing a qualified, experienced mechanical engineer like Surna for your team to help evaluate those options and ensure that you stay on the path to profitability, even under the extreme conditions of the Arizona desert.
Equipment malfunctions, nuances of specific geographies, unexpected power limitations, cultivar inputs that need tweaking. These are just some examples of issues that may not be fully apparent until the facility is in operation, and anticipating the possibility ensures that you’ll be well prepared to address them.
Anyone who has ever built a cultivation facility can confirm that it’s a long and stressful process. And for those who haven’t? Hear us now: It’s a long and stressful process and it’s important to have realistic expectations about timelines during the pre-planning stages.
The truth is, there is a strong business case to be made for cultivating in controlled environments. And in the near future, as renewable energy options increase and climate change continues to impact weather patterns, there will be a strong sustainability case to be made as well.
The obvious benefit to tiered applications is the ability to increase canopy square footage without additional building square footage. Although there are some drawbacks to multi-tier growing, there can also be great reward, and so we’re seeing more and more of our clients choose to go this route in their facilities.
Apart from our deep expertise and value in engineering design, where we can provide equal value to our clients is in the design-build HVAC model. The complexity of systems in cannabis facilities usually necessitates a well-coordinated effort, with an experienced, well-qualified central party taking responsibility for the mechanical system from concept to design to equipment and integration.
Most cannabis industry cultivators think of “controls” as the dashboard where they can see their room parameters and adjust photoperiods or temperature setpoints, and a lot of folks make their decisions around controls based solely on that user interface. This is an important part of the toolkit but is really the least critical piece to a controls system’s functionality.