Greenhouse Heating Load Calculator.
Estimate peak heating load in kW, indicative installed capacity and annual heat energy for a commercial greenhouse — from covering U-value, design temperatures, wind exposure and thermal screens. Planning tool for budgeting and RFQ scope, not engineering design.
Greenhouse Heating Load Calculator
Estimate peak heating load in kW, indicative installed capacity and annual heat energy for a commercial greenhouse — from covering U-value, design temperatures, wind exposure and thermal screens. Planning tool for budgeting and RFQ scope, not engineering design.
Estimate only — not a quotation. Outputs are indicative planning ranges based on the values you enter and typical commercial benchmarks. Real pricing, specifications and lead times vary by country, site conditions and supplier, and are confirmed only in written offers collected through a private RFQ.
Project inputs
U-value 4 W/m²K
Use the local 99% winter design value.
Sheltered 5%, typical 10%, exposed 20%.
Single screen 20–35%, twin screens 35–50%.
Gas boiler ~90%; heat pump 250–400%.
Planning estimate only. Final heat plant, pipe-rail, buffer and dehumidification design require a climate engineer using local weather files and crop setpoints.
Turn this estimate into a qualified project
SeedMatchGroup is a supplier-neutral platform. We do not manufacture or resell equipment — we help buyers specify the project correctly, open one private RFQ to qualified global manufacturers, integrators and EPCs, and introduce relevant financing tracks.
What this calculator does
It converts the greenhouse envelope and your climate design conditions into a peak heating load in kW, an indicative installed capacity, and the annual heat energy and cost that follow. Use it to frame the heat-plant budget and to write a heating scope that suppliers can quote against.
Who should use it
Project developers, growers, investors and consultants scoping a new build or a retrofit in a heating-driven climate — the Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland, Canada, the Nordics, highland and continental markets — or anyone comparing covering and screen options before requesting quotes.
Method and assumptions
Transmission load is envelope area × covering U-value × design temperature difference. Envelope area assumes a roughly square footprint with a roof factor of 1.12 for pitch, plus perimeter walls at gutter height. Wind and infiltration are applied as a percentage uplift; thermal screens as a percentage reduction. Annual energy scales the peak load by the ratio of the seasonal average temperature difference to the design difference over the heating days entered, then divides by plant efficiency or COP.
Limitations: the model excludes solar gain, latent load from dehumidification, crop transpiration, CO₂ strategy, lighting waste heat and hourly weather variation. Long, narrow or multi-block layouts have more envelope per m² than the square assumption. Treat the result as a range, not a specification.
Worked example
A 1 ha double-inflated polyfilm house (U 4.0) with 6 m gutters has roughly 13,600 m² of envelope. Held at 18 °C against a −8 °C design temperature the raw transmission load is about 1,414 kW; a 10% wind uplift and a 30% screen saving bring the peak to roughly 1,089 kW, or about 109 W/m² of floor — so a heat plant of around 1,250 kW installed. Switching to twin-wall polycarbonate at U 3.0 cuts the same peak to about 817 kW.
What suppliers need to quote heating
Location and design temperature, covered area and gutter height, covering and screen specification, crop setpoints day and night, humidity strategy, available fuel or electrical capacity, and whether a buffer tank, CO₂ recovery or heat-pump integration is in scope. Missing any of these produces bids that cannot be compared.
Frequently asked questions
Send these numbers to the RFQ Builder
The numbers below were calculated with SeedMatchGroup's Greenhouse Heating Load Calculator. Indicative — the specialist will confirm scope before contacting suppliers.
12 inputs · assumptions · results
Pair this with the greenhouse energy calculator for total electricity, climate calculator for cooling and ventilation, and TCO calculator to compare covering and heat-plant options over 5 and 10 years. Cold-climate context: Canada, Netherlands, Germany.
What can change the result?
This is a preliminary planning estimate based on the values you entered. The variables below usually move the outcome most, and should be confirmed with an agronomist, engineer and supplier offers before final design.
- Local climate: temperature, humidity, radiation and wind exposure
- Greenhouse type and technology level (tunnel, naturally ventilated, high-tech)
- Covering material and light transmission (film, polycarbonate, glass)
- Heating system, fuel type and winter set points
- Energy and utility tariffs, plus tariff escalation over time
Questions this calculator answers
Typical buyer and investor searches this tool is built for, including the markets where we run the most commercial projects.
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost per hectare for a commercial project
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost for a 2-hectare project — India
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost: indicative planning ranges — Kenya
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost benchmarks for investors — Saudi Arabia
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost under local market conditions — Mexico
- greenhouse heating, cooling and energy cost — what to specify in a supplier RFQ
Plan the project around the numbers
A calculator output is a starting point. Pair it with the planning guides below to align timeline, irrigation, budget and risk before you launch an RFQ.
One private brief, specialist review, private supplier research and a like-for-like comparison.
Month-by-month schedule from concept to first harvest across 9 stages.
Design principles for drip, pivot, fertigation and filtration on commercial projects.
How CAPEX, working capital and operating cost drive the project business case.
The ten most expensive planning and procurement pitfalls — and how to avoid them.
Procurement answers behind these numbers
A model output only holds if the scope, contract route and delivery terms match the assumptions. These reference answers cover the commercial decisions that move the figure.
- Turnkey EPC vs separate equipment packages
- What belongs in a greenhouse equipment specification
- Normal payment milestones in equipment contracts
- Which Incoterms to use for greenhouse and irrigation equipment
- How long a commercial greenhouse takes from order to handover
- What is normally the owner's scope on a greenhouse project
Move greenhouse heating load calculator. into a structured RFQ
Editorial · not a sales pitchCalculator outputs are indicative. When your numbers stabilise, a supplier-neutral RFQ turns those estimates into comparable offers from verified providers.
The facts a complete, supplier-neutral request on this topic includes. Use it as a checklist before submitting.
- Covered area (m² or ha), bay/gutter layout preference and target gutter height
- Site location, altitude and design loads (wind, snow, seismic) if known
- Crop and production system (soil, substrate, hydroponic, nursery)
- Covering choice: polyethylene film, polycarbonate or glass — and expected lifetime
- Climate scope: ventilation, screens, heating, cooling/pad-fan, CO₂, controls
- Irrigation/fertigation scope and water source quality
- Target commissioning date, phasing and budget band (USD $250K+)
- Incoterms, destination port/site and who handles civil works and erection
- Site plan or coordinates with plot dimensions
- Soil/water analysis where available
- Any existing concept drawing, BOQ or previous supplier offer
Opens the RFQ Builder pre-scoped as a greenhouse project so suppliers quote structure, covering, climate and irrigation on the same basis. You stay in control — nothing is submitted until you review and confirm.
Free to submit · supplier-neutral · reviewed by a specialist before any supplier is contacted.
Running these numbers for a client project?
Agronomists, greenhouse and irrigation consultants use this calculator for feasibility, then hand the project to us for supplier shortlisting, RFQ preparation and quote comparison. You stay client-facing and we work through you.
Your client relationship stays with you — we work through you and never contact your client unless you ask.
Indicative only
- This tool is indicative only.
- It is not financial advice.
- It is not agronomic advice.
- It is not engineering design.
- Final numbers require supplier, agronomist, engineer and local regulatory review.
SeedMatch Group is an independent agricultural project sourcing and RFQ platform. We are not a farm, seed producer, fertilizer manufacturer, irrigation manufacturer, greenhouse builder, EPC contractor, lender or financial advisor. Supplier and project partner outreach is handled only after a commercial project brief is reviewed.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. SeedMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every agriculture project request is reviewed manually by David / SeedMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.