Climate screens can deliver a return on investment in as little as three years by reducing energy costs, improving crop quality, and giving growers greater control over the greenhouse environment.

Economic pressures have accelerated the adoption of climate screens by more greenhouse operations, not as a luxury add-on, but as a vital necessity for operational efficiency.

Cost is often one of the biggest barriers to purchasing a climate screen system (a.k.a., curtain system), making the economics and payback period critical factors in the buying decision.

It’s important to look at the big picture, including both tangible and intangible benefits, when deciding whether a climate screen system is good for your bottom line.

Only then does the whole investment value of a screen system come into view.

Key Takeaways:

• Climate screens often pay for themselves in about three years through energy savings.
• They can reduce annual energy costs while improving control over the greenhouse environment.
• Climate screens help create consistent growing conditions to improve crop quality.
• Double-screen systems may provide greater long-term value than single-screen systems
• Choosing the right screen system depends on your crop, greenhouse, and production goals.

Climate Screens Solve More Than One Greenhouse Challenge

Climate screens are multi-functional internal screens made of fabric that help manage light, temperature, and energy use. Depending on the material and design of a screen system, they can provide shading, thermal insulation, blackout capability, light abatement, or light diffusion.

To understand the value of climate screens, let’s first look at the many ways they support greenhouse production.

Depending on the material and design, they provide:

• Light diffusion
• Energy savings
• Blackout/light deprivation
• Thermal insulation
• Pest exclusion
• Shading and cooling

Part of their value lies in the many growing challenges they can address:

• Lowering crop temperatures
• Reducing plant stress
• More uniform crop growth
• Better light penetration into the canopy
• Fewer hot spots
• Improved watering consistency
• Significant natural gas savings
• Improved climate stability
• Lower operational stress for growers

However, not every climate screen system delivers the same results.

Choosing the Right Climate Screen System Pays Off

The benefits of curtain systems are magnified by their performance, which depends heavily on selecting the right screen system for your operation. This should be determined by:

• Crop type
• Geographical climate
• Greenhouse structure
• Existing heating/cooling systems
• Production goals

That level of customization is critical to success, but it makes it difficult to assign a standard price to a climate screen system.

While every curtain installation is different, one benefit remains remarkably consistent across operations: the ability to reduce operating costs.

This Is Where the Savings from Climate Screens Start to Add Up

The beauty of climate screens is that they’re multi-functional.

For example, you can use the same screen (depending on the material) to shade crops during the day and keep them warm at night by retaining heat.

Best of all, they save you money while doing it. According to Scott Sanford, Emeritus Senior Outreach Specialist with the Department of Biological System Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension:

• “Curtains used at night can reduce heating demands, with nighttime heat loss reductions ranging from 20% to 75%.” (Sanford, 2011)
• “Automated shade screens can lower greenhouse temperatures by around 10°F when summer is at its hottest by redirecting incoming radiant energy out of the greenhouse.” (Sanford, 2011)

When used appropriately, curtain systems save on electricity and fuel because you run your heating and cooling systems less.

According to the National Greenhouse Manufacturers Association, the amount of heat retention and fuel savings varies with the type of curtain material, but generally:

• “Growers who install curtain systems commonly report annual savings of 30%.” (NGMA, n.d.)
• “Studies show fuel-cost savings of 50% to 60% in greenhouses with heat-retention curtains compared to houses without them.” (NGMA, n.d.)

At a Glance

Benefit	How Climate Screens Help
Energy savings	Reduce heating and cooling costs
Crop performance	Create more consistent growing conditions
Climate control	Better management of temperature and light
ROI	Recover installation costs in approx. 3-3 1/2 years (based on avg. gas and installation costs)

But energy and fuel savings are only part of the equation. Climate screens also contribute to crop performance, creating additional value beyond lower utility bills.

Crop Performance Benefits Can Be Just as Valuable as Energy Savings

It’s difficult to estimate exactly how much climate screens improve production outcomes because results vary by crop, growing environment, and production methods.

However, by helping reduce heat and cold stress and creating more consistent growing conditions, climate screens can support stronger crop performance.

Energy and shade screens in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) greenhouses can significantly reduce the risk of fruit scalding and cracking by managing light intensity, heat load, and plant stress.

For produce growers, that may mean improvements in fruit set, fruit weight, yield, and crop uniformity.

Bedding plant growers might see benefits such as better crop development and timing, more uniform growth, and improved plant quality.

Without shading, hot spots, and problem areas can develop, leading to uneven growth. Screens diffuse or block direct light, reducing photoinhibition (reduction in a plant’s ability to photosynthesize caused by exposure to overly intense light) and heat buildup on crop surfaces.

Regardless of crop type, greater environmental control with the help of climate screens can lead to more predictable production outcomes.

Who Benefits Most From Climate Screens?

• Greenhouses with high heating costs
• Year-round growing operations
• Growers cultivating high-value crops
• Growers looking for greater climate consistency
• Operations needing blackout, light abatement, or shading capability

All these crop performance benefits on top of the energy savings climate screens provide improve profitability by reducing operating costs and creating opportunities for higher revenue.

Investment in Climate Screens Continues Paying Dividends for Years

And since climate screens last anywhere from 5 to 10 years, even more if you take extra good care of them, you can enjoy these benefits for quite some time.

A relatively short payback period combined with a long product lifespan increases your overall return on investment (ROI) because you experience benefits long after the payback period.

Calculating Energy Savings and ROI

Svensson, a supplier of climate solutions for greenhouse growers, can estimate energy savings and ROI for climate screen systems with input about your gas and installation costs.

To illustrate what those savings can look like in practice, consider the following greenhouse simulation provided by Paul Arena, Climate Consultant for Svensson.

The Svensson calculator estimates how much gas is needed to heat the greenhouse year-round. It calculates gas consumption per square meter over time, then totals it for the year.

Arena ran his simulation for a Venlo glasshouse in Leamington, Ontario, growing tomatoes. The house is around 9.3 hectares and uses natural gas heating with rail pipes and grow pipes.

He compared two different scenarios:

• Single blackout screen
• Double-screen system with a blackout screen plus a maximum light transmission energy screen

Check out the results, keeping in mind that these are estimates and the payback periods are based solely on fuel savings:

	Single Blackout Screen	Double-screen system + high light transmission energy screen
Annual energy savings	29%	57%
Payback period	≈3 years (based on avg. gas and installation costs)	≈3.3 years (based on avg. gas and installation costs)

Prospiant perspective: Every greenhouse is different. The right climate screen depends on factors such as your greenhouse design, heating strategy, crop, geographic location, and production goals. Working with an experienced greenhouse supplier can help ensure you select a system that delivers the best long-term return on investment.

You might be surprised to learn that despite nearly double the installation cost, the double-screen system has a similar payback period to the single-screen system.

The reason the double-screen system performs so well is that the second screen can stay closed for longer periods during the day, which significantly reduces heat loss.

Even though the upfront investment is higher, the energy savings are substantial enough that the ROI remains very attractive for the double-screen system.

And the benefits you get from a double-screen system aren’t limited to energy savings.

It pays itself off quickly, so yes, the operational costs go down, but now you have much more flexibility inside the greenhouse to control your climate.

The Real Return From Climate Screens Is Greater Control

And perhaps that’s the biggest takeaway. Climate screens give you more precise control over the greenhouse environment to help create conditions for more consistent, predictable production outcomes.

For many growers, that fact, combined with the energy and fuel savings climate screens provide, makes them one of the easiest investments to justify.

Contact a team member at Prospiant Greenhouses today for expert advice on the right climate screen setup for your operation.

Footnotes

Sanford, S. (2011). Using curtains to reduce greenhouse heating and cooling costs (PDF document). Farm Energy Extension. https://farm-energy.extension.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/4.-A3907-03.pdf

NGMA. (n.d.) Curtain Systems: History and Overview (PDF document). National Greenhouse Manufacturers’ Association. https://ngma.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Curtain-Systems.pdf  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long does it take greenhouse climate screens to pay for themselves?

Many growers recover the costs in approximately three to three and a half years through energy savings, although the actual payback depends on energy prices, greenhouse design, and screen selection.

How much energy can climate screens save?

Growers commonly report annual energy savings of around 30%. Some heat-retention curtain systems can reduce fuel costs by 50% to 60%.

How long do climate screens last?

Most climate screens last between five and ten years. Proper maintenance performed on a regular basis helps extend their service life.

Are double-screen systems worth the investment?

Although they may cost more to install, double-screen systems can deliver significantly greater energy savings and more precise climate control, resulting in a similar payback period to that of single-screen systems.