How much money did your centre pivot irrigator burn last year?

People who know me well know that I love science. Maths and physics in particular. Let’s look at a few facts of physics. I will keep it simple (or, how to save you money the easy way).

Power usage of a pump is derived by a formula that involves the following parameters- Volume of water flow. Operating pressure at the pump and the efficiency of the pump being used. In basic terms, if we double the operating pressure we double the power requirement. If we double the flow, we also double the power requirement.

Whether you are using diesel or electricity the fact remains that power is money! There is always continuing advancements in both pump efficiency and pivot sprinkler head technology.

If your irrigation system is 10 years old or more there is a very good chance that your existing pump is worn and your out of date pivot sprinkler package is costing you money instead of making it for you. A ‘typical’ 400m long pivot irrigator running on a diesel pump for 2000 hrs per year can have a fuel cost of $20-25,000 per year. Wouldn’t you like to reduce that cost by 10-20% ? Savings could be upwards of $50,000 over the next 10 years, per pivot irrigator.

Improving pump efficiency and lowering pump operating pressure will reduce your overall operating costs. I am constantly surprised when I hear of people installing a new pivot system who do not know what their expected operating costs will be. This is a sure sign of an inexperienced irrigation company or sales person. People’s excuses will often be- ‘I got a really good deal’ or- ‘The guy gave me a cheap price on the whole package’.

Purchase price has nothing to do operating costs. The operating cost over 10+ years is where your money is going to be either made or lost. Purchase poorly and it will cost you forever.

Step 1 is accurately knowing what your current power consumption is. If you do not know what your pumping cost is then make it a priority today. It’s never too late to look at money saving changes. Most people work on a value of $ per ML pumped.

Step 2 is to contact us to discuss how much money we can save you going forward.
(feel free to use our contact form or call Glenn on 0418 366 364)

Also, if you haven’t done it yet, download our free Linear Move Irrigation Brochure.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Upton