Warm creep floors for piglets without heat lamps
How a 200-sow farrowing unit can heat piglet creep floors and weaner rooms with heat pumps, and what it saves against electric heat lamps and heaters.
▶Video: Space heating for buildings and farms
V13 · 2–2.5 minFloor heating, fan coils and air handlers, from homes to poultry sheds
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Piglets chill easily. Newborn piglets have little fat and cannot hold body heat. Cold creeps lead to crushing, as piglets lie against the sow for warmth.
- Heat lamps waste energy. Infrared lamps of 150–250 W per pen run day and night and heat the air and the sow more than the piglets.
- Two climates in one pen. Piglets and sows need very different temperatures, and room heating cannot meet both.
- Electric heating is expensive heat. Resistance heaters turn one kWh of electricity into one kWh of heat, at the full commercial tariff. A heat pump moves two to four kWh of heat for the same unit.
- Large connected load. Heater banks take a big share of the sanctioned load and push up maximum-demand charges.
02Use case
The reference farm in the north-east has 200 farrowing crates and a 300 m² weaner room. Piglets need 30–35 °C in the creep area in the first week, while the sow is more comfortable at 18–20 °C.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creep floor heating pads | Floor 32–35 °C | 200 pens × 1.0 m² × 120 W/m² × 24 h | 576 |
| Weaner room heating | Room 26–28 °C | 300 m² room, 12 kW average × 18 h | 216 |
| Pen washing water | 20 → 50 °C | 3,000 L/day, 20 → 50 °C | 104 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 45 |
| Total useful heat | 941 | ||
Averaged over 20 running hours, the heat pumps need about 47 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 1 × SE-AH-50U (50 kW) (SE-AH air-source heat pump) delivering 50 °C, covering the day's 941 kWh in about 18.8 running hours.
- A 1,500 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The electric heat lamps and room heaters stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Water-heated creep pads or embedded pipe loops warm only the piglet area of each crate, leaving the sow side cooler.
- Each row of crates has its own zone valve so pads can be turned down as litters grow.
- Fan heaters on the same hot water loop heat the weaner room.
- Washing water at 50 °C comes from the same storage tank.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-AH-50U × 1 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 50 kW each, 50 kW total |
| COP | 4.1 at A20 °C / W50 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 12.1 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | rated 55 °C, 60 °C maximum, R410A |
| Supply temperature | 50 °C |
| Storage | 1,500 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the top of the tank starts the heat pumps below 44 °C and stops them at 50 °C. TIC-201 sets each row's pad temperature, stepping down from 35 °C at birth to about 28 °C at weaning. TIC-202 holds the weaner room at 27 °C. Heat lamps stay available for weak litters or very cold nights.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Fewer crushed piglets
A warm creep draws piglets away from the sow, which reduces crushing losses.
Heat where it is needed
Floor pads heat the piglets directly instead of the whole room.
Fewer lamp failures
No bulbs to replace and less fire risk in straw or dusty pens.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 4.1 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
Smaller electrical load
The heat pump draws roughly 1/4.1 of the power of the heaters it replaces, which frees sanctioned load and cuts demand charges.
Solar-ready
Running hours can be placed in daylight so rooftop solar supplies much of the electricity, which also cuts CO₂ further.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Number of farrowing crates and creep area per crate
- Weaner room size and target temperature
- Farrowing schedule
- Installed lamp and heater ratings
- Lowest winter temperatures at site
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Ammonia and dust. Place outdoor units upwind and away from exhaust fans. Ammonia-laden air corrodes copper and aluminium.
- Pad cleaning. Choose pads with smooth, sealed surfaces that tolerate pressure washing and disinfectants.
- Floor insulation. Insulate under embedded loops so heat goes to the piglets and not into the ground.
- Electrical. About 12 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. Air-source output falls in cold weather: about two-thirds of rated capacity at 5 °C ambient. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.
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Warm creep floors for piglets without heat lamps
How a 200-sow farrowing unit can heat piglet creep floors and weaner rooms with heat pumps, and what it saves against electric heat lamps and heaters.
▶Video: Space heating for buildings and farms
V13 · 2–2.5 minFloor heating, fan coils and air handlers, from homes to poultry sheds
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Piglets chill easily. Newborn piglets have little fat and cannot hold body heat. Cold creeps lead to crushing, as piglets lie against the sow for warmth.
- Heat lamps waste energy. Infrared lamps of 150–250 W per pen run day and night and heat the air and the sow more than the piglets.
- Two climates in one pen. Piglets and sows need very different temperatures, and room heating cannot meet both.
- Electric heating is expensive heat. Resistance heaters turn one kWh of electricity into one kWh of heat, at the full commercial tariff. A heat pump moves two to four kWh of heat for the same unit.
- Large connected load. Heater banks take a big share of the sanctioned load and push up maximum-demand charges.
02Use case
The reference farm in the north-east has 200 farrowing crates and a 300 m² weaner room. Piglets need 30–35 °C in the creep area in the first week, while the sow is more comfortable at 18–20 °C.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creep floor heating pads | Floor 32–35 °C | 200 pens × 1.0 m² × 120 W/m² × 24 h | 576 |
| Weaner room heating | Room 26–28 °C | 300 m² room, 12 kW average × 18 h | 216 |
| Pen washing water | 20 → 50 °C | 3,000 L/day, 20 → 50 °C | 104 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 45 |
| Total useful heat | 941 | ||
Averaged over 20 running hours, the heat pumps need about 47 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 1 × SE-AH-50U (50 kW) (SE-AH air-source heat pump) delivering 50 °C, covering the day's 941 kWh in about 18.8 running hours.
- A 1,500 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The electric heat lamps and room heaters stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Water-heated creep pads or embedded pipe loops warm only the piglet area of each crate, leaving the sow side cooler.
- Each row of crates has its own zone valve so pads can be turned down as litters grow.
- Fan heaters on the same hot water loop heat the weaner room.
- Washing water at 50 °C comes from the same storage tank.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-AH-50U × 1 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 50 kW each, 50 kW total |
| COP | 4.1 at A20 °C / W50 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 12.1 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | rated 55 °C, 60 °C maximum, R410A |
| Supply temperature | 50 °C |
| Storage | 1,500 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the top of the tank starts the heat pumps below 44 °C and stops them at 50 °C. TIC-201 sets each row's pad temperature, stepping down from 35 °C at birth to about 28 °C at weaning. TIC-202 holds the weaner room at 27 °C. Heat lamps stay available for weak litters or very cold nights.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Fewer crushed piglets
A warm creep draws piglets away from the sow, which reduces crushing losses.
Heat where it is needed
Floor pads heat the piglets directly instead of the whole room.
Fewer lamp failures
No bulbs to replace and less fire risk in straw or dusty pens.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 4.1 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
Smaller electrical load
The heat pump draws roughly 1/4.1 of the power of the heaters it replaces, which frees sanctioned load and cuts demand charges.
Solar-ready
Running hours can be placed in daylight so rooftop solar supplies much of the electricity, which also cuts CO₂ further.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Number of farrowing crates and creep area per crate
- Weaner room size and target temperature
- Farrowing schedule
- Installed lamp and heater ratings
- Lowest winter temperatures at site
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Ammonia and dust. Place outdoor units upwind and away from exhaust fans. Ammonia-laden air corrodes copper and aluminium.
- Pad cleaning. Choose pads with smooth, sealed surfaces that tolerate pressure washing and disinfectants.
- Floor insulation. Insulate under embedded loops so heat goes to the piglets and not into the ground.
- Electrical. About 12 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. Air-source output falls in cold weather: about two-thirds of rated capacity at 5 °C ambient. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.