Growing Efficiency: How Altman Specialty Plants Became a SoCalREN Agriculture Success Story
For growers, every operational decision matters. From maintaining optimal growing conditions to managing rising utility costs, finding opportunities to improve efficiency can make a meaningful difference to a farm’s operations.
That is exactly what happened at Altman Specialty Plants in Nipomo, California.
Through the Southern California Regional Energy Network's (SoCalREN) Agriculture Programs, Altman Specialty Plants became the first grower to complete direct install and retrofit energy efficiency projects. The result was successful equipment installs that lowered energy consumption, improved greenhouse climate conditions, and demonstrated how energy-efficient equipment can support long-term agricultural operations.
A Growing Operation Looking for Smarter Solutions
Altman Specialty Plants specializes in ornamental plants for homes and gardens and operates six greenhouses across its 224,000-square-foot property in Nipomo. Built in 1990, the facility relies on carefully managed greenhouse conditions to produce healthy, high-quality plants year-round.
For greenhouse operations in Southern California, maintaining consistent temperatures while controlling utility costs is an ongoing challenge. Heating demands can represent a significant operational expense, especially during cooler periods when retaining warmth becomes critical to plant health and growth.
Seeking opportunities to improve efficiency, Altman partnered with Greenhouse System USA and SoCalREN Agriculture to identify upgrades to reduce energy usage while supporting crop performance.
Energy Efficient Equipment with Benefits You Can See and Feel
The project focused on two key greenhouse improvements:
- Installation of infrared film across 201,960 square feet of greenhouse space
- Installation of heat curtains across 24,240 square feet of greenhouse space
These technologies work together to help retain heat, reduce natural gas consumption, and create more stable growing environments for crops. By maintaining more consistent growing conditions, the upgrades help reduce plant stress and support more uniform crop development, providing value to both the operation and their customers.
Delivering Real Results
The improvements delivered measurable energy savings for the facility.
Annual energy savings are estimated at 38,534 net therms for IR film and 5,060 net therms for heat curtains, resulting in annual utility bill savings of approximately $40,774 and $5,353, respectively. Using the measure package's 5-year effective useful life (EUL), total projected savings are 192,670 net therms for IR film and 25,300 net therms for heat curtains.
Through SoCalREN incentives, the infrared film installation was covered at 100% of project costs, helping remove financial barriers that often prevent agricultural businesses from moving forward with energy upgrades.
More Ways SoCalREN Can Support Farms in Southern California
As Altman Specialty Plants showed, the right improvements can do more than save energy. They can create efficient operations that support long-term success. The SoCalREN Agriculture Programs offer resources designed to help agricultural businesses identify and implement energy-efficient solutions that meet their operational needs.
Available offerings include:
- Agriculture Equipment Incentives that help offset the cost of qualifying energy-efficient equipment upgrades.
- Direct Install Projects that provide eligible customers with access to streamlined energy-saving improvements.
- Technical Assistance and Tailored Support to help identify opportunities, evaluate potential savings, and navigate available incentives.
- Customized Retrofit Opportunities for facilities seeking larger or more specialized energy efficiency improvements.
To learn more, visit the SoCalREN Agriculture page or contact the team to discuss opportunities for your farm.
213-312-1702