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Greenhouse Lunch & Learn: Strategic Energy Management for a Growing Sector

October 15, 2025

Author:

360 Energy

At the recent Greenhouse Lunch & Learn: Strategic Energy Management for Greenhouse Success in Niagara Falls, industry leaders came together to confront a shared reality: Ontario’s greenhouse sector is expanding faster than the energy infrastructure that supports it. With electricity and gas demand rising sharply, and new acres of production planned across Leamington and Niagara, growers, utilities, and financiers are facing a pivotal question: How can growth continue without overloading the grid or eroding margins?

Hosted by 360 Energy and joined by representatives from RBC, Enbridge Gas, Independent Electricity System Operator(IESO), and St David's Hydroponics the session offered a candid look at both the scale of the challenge and the tools already available to manage it.

A Sector Under Pressure

In his opening remarks, David Arkell, CEO of 360 Energy, underscored the urgency of coordinated action. “Ontario will need 75 percent more power in the next 25 years,” he said, noting that greenhouse production in the province is projected to more than quadruple by 2035. The Windsor-Essex and Leamington regions alone could require over 2,100 megawatts, nearly equal to the output of Niagara’s hydroelectric system.

Electricity capacity, rising energy costs, and carbon reduction requirements are converging into what Arkell called the industry’s “trilemma.” The cost of power for greenhouses increased by 55 percent between 2013 and 2023, even as customers and regulators begin to expect measurable carbon reductions. “Eighty percent of emissions come from energy use,” he reminded attendees. “Your energy data is your carbon data.”

Arkell also highlighted the greenhouse sector’s competitive advantage. “We have one of the cleanest grids in the world,” he said. “Because it’s a clean product, we could actually export more to other countries since they’re looking for lower‑carbon products, which you already produce.”

Insights from Industry Leaders

Maarty Hendriksen of St. David’s Hydroponics reflected on how managing energy within greenhouses has evolved over three decades. “When I started, no one talked about energy screens or daily gas usage,” he said. “You turned the pipe up when it was cold.” Today, his operation tracks gas consumption every day, adjusting heating strategies minute by minute.

“You start to see the patterns,” he explained. “When you physically write it down, you think about it differently. Small adjustments like closing screens 20 minutes earlier, or lowering pipe temperature a few degrees add up by the end of the year.”

From the utility side, Kevin Yates, Supervisor of Energy Conservation at Enbridge Gas, described why a gas supplier would invest in programs that reduce consumption. “People always ask, why would we encourage customers to use less?” he said. “The simple answer is sustainability, both for the system and the businesses we serve. There’s only so much gas capacity underground. By helping customers become more efficient, we keep them competitive, free up capacity for expansion, and maintain a stable system.”

Vicki Gagnon of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) added that rapid greenhouse growth is already testing Ontario’s transmission grid. “We’re upgrading the grid, but it will take time, until at least 2030,” she said. “In the meantime, efficiency and smarter management are essential.” Gagnon pointed to the success of growers who have adopted LED lighting systems, achieving 20–60 percent higher productivity while staying within existing capacity limits. “Half of our entire provincial retrofit program’s incentives now go to greenhouse lighting projects,” she noted.

For Gary Toupin, Director of Senior Commercial Markets at RBC, the link between managing energy and financial performance is direct. “Energy costs are one of the largest operating expenses for greenhouse operators,” he said. “The clients who actively monitor data and show consistent results month over month are in a stronger position when it comes to financing. We look at every client relationship as a partnership, not just a client-bank transaction, when growers track and report their performance, it strengthens that partnership and help sus structure lending that truly fits their operation.”

Collaboration and the Role of EMIS

Across the panel, one theme persisted: the greenhouse sector’s success depends on collaboration. Electricity, gas and water utilities, control technology providers, and growers cannot continue working in silos. As Arkell put it, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure. And you can’t measure well if the data lives in five different folders across five different laptops.”

That need for integration is what makes Energy Management Information Systems(EMIS) so relevant. An EMIS collects data from multiple sources including utility invoices, meters, and control systems, and translates it into actionable insights. Rather than relying on spreadsheets or fragmented monitoring, greenhouse teams can track energy, water, and emissions from a single platform.

Gagnon emphasized that the IESO’s EMIS incentive was designed specifically for this type of implementation. “We offer up to $50,000 to support an EMIS installation,” she explained. “The goal is to give growers the tools to see what’s happening in real time and make informed adjustments, whether it’s lighting, ventilation, or production cycles.”

 

Turning Insight into Action
To show what’s possible, 360 Energy walked attendees through a live case study using Envirally: An AI-driven Energy Management Information System (EMIS) platform developed in-house.

The demo showed how Envirally automatically extracts and verifies data from utility invoices, consolidating what’s usually scattered across departments. It flags irregularities, tracks monthly trends, and generates reports covering energy use, costs, and emissions. One featured client had fully transitioned from high-pressure sodium to LED lighting; within months, they cut electricity use while maintaining, or exceeding, crop output. The EMIS made the savings visible, helping staff validate results and secure incentives.

For larger operations, tools like budgeting and forecasting turn energy data into a real management system. Instead of catching problems months later, teams can compare actual use to energy budgets in real time, catch anomalies early, and trace them to specific equipment or production factors. The data becomes a feedback loop for the growers, accountants and lenders, too.

Arkell closed the session by stepping back to the larger context. Ontario’s greenhouse sector, he said, is strategically important, but also energy-intensive. “You grow food, you support jobs, and you run some of the most advanced agricultural systems in the world, ”he told the audience. “But to keep that momentum, you have to be part of the province’s energy solution, instead of a load the grid can’t handle.”

Where Growers Go Next
The panel made one thing clear: managing energy effectively is now essential, not optional. Utilities, banks, tech providers, and greenhouse operators each control part of the solution, but only together does it work.

For those ready to move forward, support is already on the table. The IESO offers to cover up to 50% of EMIS implementation costs, up to $50,000 per site. Platforms like Envirally automate the process, turning messy data into actionable insight without adding more admin.

360 Energy is working directly with growers, utilities, and financial partners to help the sector turn insight into results. Operators interested in exploring EMIS options or securing funding cancontact the 360 Energy team.

The message from Niagara Falls wasdirect: Ontario’s greenhouse sector won’t be constrained by energy, if itstarts managing it. EMIS tools and collaborative planning aren’t just upgrades.They’re how the industry secures its future.