Where to grow.

Where you build a greenhouse shapes what you must build almost as much as what you intend to grow — which is why “where to grow” is a distinct step in our approach, tackled with data before a single truss is drawn. Two greenhouses growing the same crop in different climates can need very different technology and cost very different amounts to run. The site, in other words, is not a neutral backdrop; it is a primary input to the engineering.

We start from three years of real climate data for your exact coordinates, because averages hide the extremes that actually size a greenhouse. Solar radiation tells us how much natural light the crop will receive and how much supplementary lighting, if any, it needs. Temperature extremes — not just the averages but the coldest nights and hottest afternoons — decide the heating and cooling capacity. Humidity reveals how hard the dehumidification and ventilation systems will have to work, and wind and snow loads feed directly into the structural design. Each of these translates into concrete choices: energy screens where winters bite, active cooling or HortiCoolers where summers burn, humidity control where the air runs saturated.

Just as importantly, the same analysis predicts what the greenhouse will cost to operate, not just to build. Energy is usually the largest running cost in a high-tech greenhouse, and it is driven overwhelmingly by climate — so a location decision can swing the annual energy bill by double-digit percentages. Discovering that after the land is bought and the steel is up is an expensive surprise; quantifying it beforehand turns location from a gamble into an informed choice.

That is exactly what this step delivers: a clear, data-grounded picture of which systems your site demands and what they will cost to run, before you commit to a plot. If you already have a location in mind, send us the coordinates — our first reply includes the climate profile. Get in touch to put your site to the test.