Energy efficiency and sustainability: How MPO growers are cutting costs and carbon

Energy efficiency and sustainability: How MPO growers are cutting costs and carbon

As Mushroom Producer Organisation (MPO) continues to champion sustainability across the sector, the last few years have seen a strong focus on energy-saving initiatives – from solar installations to improved insulation and LED lighting. These projects, delivered through MPO’s Operational Programme, are helping growers across the UK reduce both energy use and production costs, while improving efficiency on site.

Investing in energy efficiency

Over the past few years, several MPO member farms implemented key upgrades supported by Operational Programme funding:

See some of these examples below:

Howden, Flixton & Haylock

Installation of solar panels and battery storage to generate renewable electricity and reduce grid dependency.

Flixton’s 40wKp Roof PV Install

Howden’s 650kWp Roof PV Install

40.5 kW Battery Storage at Haylock integrated into the existing PV system

Suffolk Mushrooms and Orchard Mushrooms

Reinsulating and recovering growing tunnels, alongside previous year’s LED lighting upgrades to improve energy efficiency and lighting quality.

Orchard’s Reinsulating and Recovering of tunnels

MPO provided support throughout the process – from funding and supplier sourcing to project coordination and installation – ensuring growers could adopt sustainable technologies with minimal disruption to operations. These projects were part funded by DEFRA and administered by the Rural Payments Agency through the Fruit and Veg Aid Scheme.

Real results on the ground

While the results of these investments are most clearly seen in each farm’s operational audits, early indicators show tangible benefits in energy savings, improved crop conditions, and lower running costs per Kg of produce produced.

One clear example comes from Suffolk Mushrooms’ tunnel insulation project. When comparing tunnels before and after re-insulation, data showed that the upgraded tunnel reached sterilisation temperature (a cleaning process) five hours faster than an uninsulated one — 11 hours compared to 16. This means the steam boiler only needs to run around 68% of the time, directly translating to fuel savings and lower emissions.

Smart equipment, smarter growing

Suffolk Mushrooms and Haylock also saw notable improvements from an investment in a new casing soil hopper and a compost hopper. The machinery ensured a more even mix of materials in the filling process, resulting in:

More uniform beds and consistent moisture levels.
Improved crop uniformity, making irrigation and harvest planning more predictable.
Reduced labour time, during the filling process.
Less spillage and waste, which in turn lowers contamination risk and improves site hygiene.

Soil casing hopper at Suffolk

Compost hopper at Haylock

These operational gains, though small individually, represent the kind of incremental efficiencies that add up to significant sustainability outcomes across the sector.

Tunnel Upgrades and Expansion Projects

Throughout 2023 – 2025 MPO have been working with our growers to increase production at their sites, projects include the expansion project at Howden Enterprises, a new farm project with Suffolk Mushrooms and Tunnel upgrades at Orchard Mushrooms. By investing in an additional Chiller at Howden we are able ensure product quality will be optimised following the expansion by ensuring that we do not run into any cooling issues in the mushroom houses. By creating more consistent growing conditions, this has led to a reduction in undersized mushrooms and deliver a more consistent quality product following the significant increase in production yields. Investments in the air handling systems maintain the temperature of air allow for improved yields and quality on site.

And an investment of a new Winch at Howden allows us to fill shelves 9 high as part of their tunnel expansion project.