In the summer he keeps 30 irrigation pumps running constantly, cycling water to different areas of his cornfields. His pumps are designed to stay off when power is cut, so if blackouts pass through his area he'll have to inspect each pump before turning it back on. I'm going to have to hire extra labor. To prepare for rolling blackouts, he's considering ways to use less water, including cutting back on acreage or sacrificing parts of fields if outages get too common. Van Steyn's not taking any chances with his dairy operations, where a power outage would mean water wouldn't flow to his cows and his milking machines won't operate.
Wineries use a lot of power keeping their barrel rooms cool.
We're putting on our thinking caps to be as creative as we can. Interland Corp. Even though tenants pay for much of the energy in Stone's properties, he aims to cut energy costs for tenants and help prevent blackouts. Ask tenants to turn on fewer overhead lights. Use more energy-efficient lightbulbs. Change air filters in heating and cooling systems more often.