Energy screens.

The fastest payback in greenhouse technology

Of all the systems in a greenhouse, energy screens are often the one that pays for itself fastest. The principle is simple: a screen cloth drawn horizontally beneath the roof at night traps a layer of still air between the crop and the cold glass, sharply reducing the heat that escapes upward. Because heat loss through the roof is the dominant energy drain in a heated greenhouse, cutting it delivers immediate, substantial savings on the largest line of the operating budget — which is why energy screens are standard in every climate that needs heating.

The savings are considerable. A modern energy screen can reduce heat loss by up to around 47%, and it does more than trap warmth: the cloth also modulates infrared radiation, daylight and air movement, giving the grower a lever over the greenhouse's whole night-time energy balance. The best screens combine high thermal insulation with high light transmission — historically a trade-off, since denser, warmer cloths blocked more light — so they can stay closed longer, saving more energy, without starving the crop of the light it needs at the margins of the day.

Because a single cloth cannot do everything, cold and temperate climates increasingly use double screening: two independent screens, each with its own job and its own strategy. One might be a highly transparent energy screen for maximum insulation with minimal light loss, the other a blackout or shade cloth for photoperiod or radiation control, and the two are deployed in combination — both closed on the coldest nights, staged through dawn and dusk — to squeeze out savings a single screen cannot reach.

All of this is orchestrated by the climate computer hour by hour, opening and closing each screen against temperature, light, humidity and the risk of condensation, so insulation never comes at the cost of a damp, disease-prone canopy. Deployed well, screens cut energy bills, stabilise the climate and improve crop quality at the same time. DutchGreenhouses® specifies the screen package and control strategy around your climate and crop. Get in touch to discuss screening for your greenhouse.