HVAC & Dehumidification Systems
Our HVAC(Dehumidification) options include out patented GAHT®, and trademarked EcoLoop™ or EcoPack™ options. Growing goals, site constraints, budget and greenhouse type will determine the best HVAC(D) option. Additionally, we custom integrate humification systems (fogging) for an optimal cannabis grow climate.
We also offer a la cate HVAC(D) solutions for non-Ceres greenhouses, retrofits and indoor grows.
Ceres Proprietary HVACD Options
The EcoLoop™ and the EcoPack™ are both heat pump based systems. To run these “Ecosystems”. we offer a mixed gas/electric option and an electric only, which is notable if you are generating energy with renewables.
Traditional HVAC systems are not optimized for greenhouses. Ceres HVAC is designed to work at optimal efficiency for sunlit sealed growing spaces in order to achieve ideal Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD).
EcoPack™ and EcoLoop™ equipment live outside of the greenhouse, leaving the cultivation space for what it was meant for—plants. Sealed design allows for increased biosecurity, reduced exterior odors, and better use of supplemental CO2.
While both of these HVACD systems are highly efficient, the equipment used and installation process for each system is quite different.
This page will outline the differences and benefits of each system. Questions? Contact us for more information
What is the Ceres EcoPack™?
The Ceres EcoPack™ HVAC and dehumidification system has many benfits, which include:
- Precise temperature & humidity control
- Vapor pressure differential control
- Easy installation
- Can be configured to use electrical connection for installation, or gas for heating & reheat functions
- Staggered coil design lowers supply air bypass & provides superior moisture removal from environment
- Economizer Mode– When outside conditions are suitable, the EcoPack™ can use a tuned percentage of outside air to reduce energy usage
Already have a cannabis grow facility? Time to upgrade your HVAC system with an a la carte EcoPack™ system.
Why upgrade to EcoPack™?
- Rapid Delivery: Replacements for HVAC ship within 6 weeks, guaranteeing minimal downtime and fast installation
- Energy Efficiency: Get rid of inefficient equipment and use the highly efficient EcoPack™ for substantial energy savings
- Seamless Integration: A versatile choice suitable for any kind of facility
- Expert Engineering Support: Our experienced engineering team will assist you in accurately sizing your HVAC system to meet your particular requirements
- Comprehensive MEP Assistance: We can help with Mechanical , Plumbing, and Electrical (MEP) parts of your project, ensuring a smooth installation process
- Custom Automation and Controls: Enhance greater efficiency and ease of operations facility with our customized automation and controls and controls solutions.
What is the Ceres EcoLoop™?
We leverage the technology of the Ceres EcoLoop™ geothermal HVAC system, a renewable energy source that utilizes the earth’s steady temperature (between 45º and 60ºF) to create precise, desired climates in each greenhouse environment.
The EcoLoop™ offers precise temperatures, humidity, & VPD control. Modular design & installation.
*Considerations:
Higher cost of installation (added excavation & HDPE polyethylene pipe welding) relies on need to evaporate water (humid summer climates or dry locations might consider the EcoPack™ instead)
What is a GAHT® system?
GAHT® greenhouses for cannabis help supplement their own heating and cooling using the energy of the sun, and the soil underground. The result is a renewable climate control system that both offsets heating and cooling in the greenhouse, helping to save money on HVAC.
The GAHT® system works well with our vented greenhouses (in specific applications) as a supplemental heating, cooling and dehumidification option.
Do I need a fogging system?
For vented greenhouses, fogging systems work in coordination with exhaust fans to provide a more effective cooling system than traditional wet wall cooling.
In a sealed greenhouse/SunChamber™, the fogging system is not part of the cooling system, but specifically installed to increase humidity as needed to maintain ideal growing conditions.
While most growers are focused on dehumidification in growing spaces, adding humidity can be just as important to create and maintain ideal growing conditions.
Greenhouse Technology
Supplemental lighting is required to optimize plant growth, plant quality and ultimately profits in low light conditions such as mornings/evenings, winter days with low light levels, and cloudy days.
One centralized system for controlling the whole environment. Monitor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2, leaf/ canopy temp, PAR, lighting zones, and outdoor weather.
Unlike most other grow facilities, at Ceres we integrate a water recapture & filtration system in every greenhouse, Recapture and filtration not only increase efficiency, it also saves money, especially in places where water is scarce.
Grow the highest quality crop with full UV transmission. ETFE is durable and easy to repair. It allows all of the benefits of an outdoor grow, while still maintaining complete environmental control with in the facility.
Ceres fully automated light deprivation greenhouses allow for total control of light levels in your commercial or medical cannabis facility. Light deprivation is a necessary component of an automated cannabis greenhouse and is available in every size and model.
Explore our proprietary HVAC, dehumidification, and humidification (fogging) systems. We offer everything from a la carte systems for retrofits, to fully integrated geothermal HVAC solutions for new builds. Learn more about our GAHT®, EcoLoop™, and EcoPack™ system options.
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Find out how much you can save with Ceres Greenhouses compared to standard greenhouses.
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HVAC(D) FAQs
The Ceres EcoLoop™ is a hybrid Ground-Coupled-System, which is commonly known as a geothermal system in the United States and a Ground-Source-Heat pump in Europe. The EcoLoop™ is thus an innovative geothermal system designed specifically for Greenhouse Controlled Environment Agriculture.
Some of the unique advantages over a conventional geothermal system are the system’s resilience, redundancy, modularity, heating and cooling load capacities, and its low environmental impact. Additionally, the EcoLoop™ system requires minimal invasiveness to the earth (the system sits 6′ below grade, opposed to the 400′ bore holes of traditional vertical geothermal systems).
Contact us to learn more.
Ceres has a network of highly trained professionals for installation of the EcoLoop™ system that we can connect our clients to for providing installation services.
The EcoLoop™ is a closed loop system. Water injected at startup continuously circulates in the closed ground loop and through the heat pumps to transfer heat between the grow spaces, the ground and the outside environment.
The EcoLoop™ has been optimized for maximum efficiency and performance using specific controls, operating parameters, and smart responses to changing conditions in a Ceres greenhouse. Ceres is only installing the EcoLoop™ in Ceres Greenhouses through the end of 2020.
The cost of the EcoPack™ compared to any other heat pump based climate control system is comparable per ton (KW) of cooling/heating/dehumidification power required by the space to be controlled.
EcoPack™ cooling and heating is provided by the ambient air. No water cooling is necessary even in temperatures that can exceed 120F (50C) or drop to be low -30F (-35C). Therefore the EcoPack™ can be used successfully all over the world in any climate but is best suited in areas where nothing else will work, such as areas that desire (near) zero water agriculture (California, Arizona etc.) and in areas that are very humid (Florida, Texas Gulf Coast, etc.).
The Ceres EcoPack™ units are specifically designed to remove large amounts of moisture from the air, which enters the greenhouse from the transpiration from the plants. Standard heat pumps are designed for homes and offices where temperature control is valued more than humidity control. The EcoPack™ is designed to value humidity removal and temperature control equally.
The EcoPack™ system is the most reliable, easiest to control, easiest to install climate solution for greenhouses and other grow spaces.
The EcoPack™ system will need 460V 3 phase power.
The EcoPack™ needs a consistent 460V power supply. Ceres recommends that this power come from the grid or a sufficiently sized generator. In most applications, at least the dehumidification portion of the EcoPack™ needs to run at night when no solar power is generated, so a sufficiently sized battery system would be needed.
The EcoPack™ system can be combined with a ground loop heat exchange system for both efficiency and because geothermal systems are highly subsidized.
The Ceres EcoPack is especially designed to handle accurate climate control which include high humidity loads. Controlling other grow rooms (indoor and/or vertical farms) can as easily be achieved with the EcoPack as controlling the climate in human occupied spaces.
The EcoPack™ system is a single unit that is located on the outside of the building and can be operated without any further equipment. While the installation time for the EcoPack™ is just a few days, this system does not qualify for the ground coupled heat pump systems federal tax credit.
The EcoLoop™ system involves the installation of the underground system (ground coupling) and the installation of fluid coolers, which requires a specialist. In general, for larger projects, the EcoLoop™ installation and extra commissioning will add about 2 to 3 months of construction time.
Ceres suggests using the EcoLoop™ and EcoPack™ systems in closed (not vented or at least minimally vented) greenhouses and headhouses (processing areas). Sealed greenhouses allow for the most accurate control of the climate independent of outside conditions. Sealed greenhouses also have the advantage of using minimal amounts of CO2 to increase growth rates.
The EcoPack™ can theoretically be controlled by any controller. However, the Ceres SunSense™ Controller is best suited to optimize the energy efficiency features of the EcoPack™ system.
The EcoPack™ can be used with any greenhouse or indoor grow. The EcoPack™ can be retrofitted at any time as long as the power infrastructure (460V 3 Phase) is available.
The EcoPack™ does not rely on any other equipment to function effectively. All that is needed is a concrete slab foundation on the outside or on top of the buildings that need to be climate controlled.