Wilcox Farms, a leading producer of cage-free, organic and pasture-raised eggs in Washington state, is deriving benefits from the installation of an ECO heat exchanger unit manufactured by Agro Supply, a subsidiary of the Vencomatic Group.  According to Mike Lee, the flock housed with an ECO unit recorded a feed saving of 1 lb. per 100 per day or 4 percent attributed to improved house temperature with an acceptable rate of ventilation. During April 2024 Feed cost for the Western region as determined by the Egg Industry Center attained $284 per ton equivalent to 43 cents per dozen. A volumetric saving of 4 percent would correspond to 1.7 cents per dozen. For each 100,000 hens at an average of 80 percent hen-day production over a laying cycle, the annual saving would amount to $11,300 per year for a producer in the Western region

The WCO heat exchanger conserves the heat in exhausted air that is transferred to incoming fresh air.  The unit incorporates a counterflow heat exchanger with an optimal surface area contributing to efficiency in heat retention.  Wilcox appreciates the self-maintenance routines including cleaning and customer support and has benefitted financially from the ECO heat exchanger installation.