At the end of January, GrowSave hosted their first webinar of 2026 with the title ‘From Standing Charges to Smart Choices’, led by Technical Lead, Eirinn Rusbridge, and Operations Lead, Tom Ovenden.
Energy Markets
Eirinn opened the webinar with a review of the current energy market and the recent trends that have affected prices, a key focus point for growers. Recent discourse centres around Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges and their proposed increase so there was in-depth coverage on how and why these charges affect you. For greater clarity on this, please visit the TNUoS Charges Impact Calculator developed by Eirinn and the NFU Energy team.
GrowSave
The coverage then moved on to the delivery of GrowSave and the numerous events and articles being shared by the team, including the 2025 workshops on dehumidification and carbon reporting, the visit to the Amsterdam GreenTech event, and technical updates on glasshouse technology.
Eirinn laid out the plans for GrowSave through 2026 including back-to-basics of energy management, potential industry collaboration on research projects alongside Greenhouse Innovation Consortium and DEFRA, and planning for the upcoming Study Tour to explore innovative Dutch glasshouses.
GASTRO
Eirinn, as part of the Projects Team at NFU Energy, leads the GASTRO Innovate UK project in conjunction with University of Lincoln and Pilkington Glass.
The project analyses the energy performance of the glasshouse heating system and the heat retention of the innovative glass utilised in the roof, with early data proving promising. The research will be followed by dissemination of the findings throughout the horticulture industry including events, webinars, and content articles.
Funding & Incentives
Tom covered the slim pickings of grants and incentives available to farmers and growers, with funding schemes mostly limited to ADOPT and Farming in Protected Landscapes.
Despite government focus switching to environmental-targeted funds and one-time grants over ongoing incentives, the number of opportunities remain low. This means several growers remain reliant on existing schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Climate Change Levy (CCL) tax relief.
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